You transform in a burst of light, and Grief ripples out from your shoulders in billowing, swathes of twisting fractal patterns stark against the sky. Time to get out of here before anyone comes along and finds you up here - you've been pretty lucky about that, haven't you? You're sort or surprised no one else comes up to the roof, even. Maybe there's a story behind that?
You put that out of your mind as your wings stroke powerfully, lifting you into the air. The rest of the Grief, the Grief that made up your Barrier, you pull into concentric rings orbiting around you. And speaking of spinning, that reminds you; the next time you make your Barrier, you should add a spinny chair.
Hmmm. You bank, drifting towards the city center and watching the glittering steel and glass of the city roll by beneath you. It occurs to you that you haven't really talked all that much to Madoka or Sayaka, and that you really should.
"
Hey, Madoka?" you send out a quick telepathic message.
"
A-ah! Sabrina?" Madoka asks. "
Is something happening?"
"
Hey, um. Would you like to talk later? No rush, though," you ask her. You barely manage to restrain the urge to mutter 'caw, caw' as you wheel about the skies of Mitakihara, longcoat flapping behind you and wings pumping.
"
Ah? What about?" Madoka asks.
"
Well... just talking, really," you say. "
I just realized I don't really talk as much as I should with you."
"
Umm, OK," Madoka says. "
But... when?"
"
Eh. As I said, no real rush. Maybe
later today if there's time?" you say. "
Just wanted to ask first, so I don't forget, heh."
"
Ah, I see..." Madoka says. "
Um... OK, then!"
"
Yup," you agree. "
See you later!"
And next up would be... Sayaka. "
Hey, Sayaka."
"
Hey, Sabrina," the bleunette replies. "
Something up?"
"
Nah," you say. "
Just wondering, do you want to talk sometime? Nothing in particular, just that I realized I don't talk to you as much as I should."
"
... is this another waifu joke?" Sayaka asks suspiciously.
"
That's... well no, not this time, but I can make it one if you like," you offer.
"
No, I think I can live with it not being one," Sayaka says, tone utterly dry.
You snort. "
Well. Offer's open?"
"
Yeah... There's kinda stuff I want to talk to you about, too," Sayaka admits. "
So yeah. Sounds good. When?"
"
Not sure," you say. "
When we're free?"
"
Sure," Sayaka says. "
Sounds good."
"
Right. See you later, then," you say.
"
Bye!" the bleunette says.
You nod to yourself. That's done, then. You look down as you circle, watching the minuscule forms of cars and trucks travelling through the streets below, ants at the feet of the giants that are the skyscrapers. Criss-crossing flyovers twist and weave over each other in complex patterns only understood by the mad and city planners, but you repeat yourself.
You grin as you swoop past the DBJ building, scaring off a few birds roosting on the antennas. You're wasting a little time, really, but
flight.
And it's not like your brain isn't busy. Attack names for yourself, plans for the future, thinking about your Barrier and all the uses you could put it to... Though really. You have a Barrier. That's pretty cool, despite everything, and you're still pretty sure you're a puella magi and not a Witch. You think.
You hope.
Still. It's really quite a neat trick.
Hmmm. You should probably do your daily check in with Oriko and Kirika, too. Which means... you should keep Homura in the loop, too. "
Homura?" You reach out by telepathy.
"
What is it?" the time traveller responds instantly.
"
Ah, I'm going to check in on Oriko and Kirika. I promised I'd let you listen in, right?" you ask.
Homura pauses for a long moment, and you hold your breath. Just as you're about to exhale again, she responds. "
Fine."
You exhale. "
OK," you say, grimacing to yourself as you bank over swoop through the skies. You're... well, to say that Oriko and Homura would have some friction would be putting it lightly. Nevertheless, you're committed now. You take a deep breath "
Oriko, Kirika?"
Kirika's the first to respond. "
Hiiii~" she chirps happily.
"
Good afternoon, Sabrina," Oriko says a moment later.
"
'afternoon," you say. "
So, uh, first thing, Homura's listening in."
"
Hi, Miss Grum-" Kirika's response suddenly cut off.
"
I see," Oriko replies a moment later. "
Good afternoon, Miss Akemi."
Homura doesn't respond, but you can practically
hear the icy silence intensify.
"
Anyway." You interrupt the metaphorical staring contest - it'd be significantly less than metaphorical were they in the same room, you suspect. "
Oriko, Kirika, I'm just checking in. Is there anything you need? Cleanse, Grief Seed refresh, more supplies?"
Oriko considers your question for a moment. "
No," she says. "
Nothing pressing."
"
Alright, then," you say. "
See you later."
"
See~ee you!" Kirika lilts.
"
Goodbye," Oriko says.
As you feel the two of them disconnect from the call, you bank, coasting towards one of the skyscrapers below. "
Homura?"
She sighs. "
No. It's fine," she says. "
Thank you for telling me."
"
I did
promise," you say, rearing back as you drop onto the roof. Your wings pump, slowing you down, and you hop a few steps along the roof as you bleed off momentum and you catch yourself.
Homura doesn't respond.
"
Homura?" you ask, looking around the roof. Flat, a ventilation duct over there, a small antenna mast over
there, air conditioning compressors.
"
You did," she says, voice quiet. "
Is there anything else?"
"
Nah, that's it. See you after school?" you say.
"
See you," she agrees, and you can feel her breaking the call off.
You sigh, walking over to the edge of the skyscraper roof and looking down. That...
You fulfilled your promise. You did that much, at least.
And yet...
Another sigh, as you watch the cars rolling past below.
You turn away from the edge, putting it from your mind. You... you can't really do much about that at the moment, can you? And you don't really feel like experimenting more at the moment, though... it occurs to you that considering people you should talk to, you really should at least check in with Masami and Hiroko. You don't think they're
entirely hostile to you, right?
You put action to thought. "
Hello, Masami, Hiroko?"
The duo takes a moment to respond. "
Good afternoon, Sabrina?" Masami says.
"
Hello, Sabrina," Hiroko says.
"
Good afternoon," you greet, walking over to the ventilation duct, mindful of the tenebrous wings still undulating against the sky. A little hop boosts you up, and you perch on the edge of the duct, legs dangling freely. "
How're the two of you doing?"
"
We're doing fine," Masami says, but doesn't elaborate.
"
Good to hear," you say. "
Say, um... would you like to meet up somewhere and just talk? And hang out?"
"
Did Mami put you up to this?" Masami asks sharply.
"
Masami..." Hiroko rebukes.
"
No, she didn't," you say. "
She's in school right now, anyway. And I just want to talk, really. That's all."
Masami sighs. "
Hang on, give us a moment."
"
Of course," you agree. You kick your legs against the side of the vent, looking up at the sky as you wait.
It takes a moment before they respond. "
Yeah, we don't mind," Masami says. "
Where d'you want to meet?"
"
Where's good for you?" you ask.
"
Uhh," Masami replies. "
Hiroko?"
"
Umm... Is ice cream OK, Sabrina?" Hiroko asks.
"
Yeah, that's fine," you agree. Ice cream. Huh.
"
OK, then... there's an ice cream parlour two streets over from our house," Hiroko says. "
Um, it's block 1437."
"
Gotcha," you say, standing. "
On my way over right now." You launch yourself skywards, cutting across the cloudy skies.
It only takes a few minutes before you find the ice cream parlour Hiroko suggested. Cheerfully coloured umbrella lend shade to the chairs outside, though the dense clouds scudding across the sky make that rather unnecessary today. The counter boasts a modest collection of flavours, from what you can see, nothing particularly unusual.
You wait outside the parlour, looking up and down the street for Masami and Hiroko. You sense the duo before they arrive, two magical presences making themselves felt as they walk down the streets. They turn the corner, slim redhead and shorter, black haired girl walking hand in hand.
Hiroko waves tentatively at you.
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