Damn it.
You
can't have failed. It can't be Megane. She couldn't possibly have Witched out this fast.
And you
can't ignore this. Whoever it is. Not that that was ever a realistic proposition.
At your side, Mami hums lightly as she inhales the gentle fragrance of her tea, eyes closing.
"
Do we still need to meet in person?" you snap mentally, holding your own teacup still.
"
Yes," Oriko says, voice strained. "
It's- this shouldn't have happened
."
"
Right," you say, mind whirling through plans, shuffling through them rapidly. "
Oriko. The Witch I asked about yesterday, or the day before?"
"
The day before," the seer says. "
That's the problem."
Elsa Maria, then. Ahead of Orikos' predicted schedule of
tomorrow, or so it seems. Which is... admittedly strange. You huff out a slow breath and take a sip of the tea. "
Can you tell us where Sayaka is? Or rather - will be?"
"
She's in the old industrial district already," Oriko replies.
"
Why?" Homura interjects, her voice glacier cold.
"
That's the problem. I don't know," Oriko hisses. "
She has no reason to be caught up in this."
"
Homura?" you ask sharply. "
Where did you see her last?"
"
She was heading home," Homura replies.
You suppress a grimace. "
Damn. Hold on a moment."
"Sabrina? Is something w-wrong?" Mami looks over at you, lowering her teacup. Worry lines her face, her golden eyes anxious as she turns a beseeching gaze on you.
A sigh. "Yeah. Sayaka might be in danger," you say.
Mami's eyes widen. "What? How do you know?"
"Oriko," you say, holding up a hand to forestall her next sentence. "I know, I know, she might be lying, but this is a... rather pointless lie, if it is one." You switch mental channels, reaching out for Sayaka. "
Sayaka? Are you there?"
Mami swallows, and nods hesitantly. She puts her teacup down. "W-where are we going?"
Your lips flatten out for a moment as you consider that. You briefly consider leaving Mami behind - you can do this by timestop, but on the other hand, no. It'd do more harm than good. "We need to go and see Oriko," you say. "And... we need to go by timestop. Are you OK with that, Mami?" You reach out with your free hand, taking Mami's hand in yours.
Mami seems to sag for a moment. She leans forward, setting her teacup down before looking at you again, trying to look resolute. "Yes," she says, nodding slowly. She's clearly steeling herself for it, with an air of tension in her shoulders. Her fingers clasp tightly against yours, a slight tremble belying the strength of her grip.
You smile at her. "Thank you, Mami," you say, squeezing her hand back. Still no response from Sayaka, though, so... you'll try again. "
Sayaka?"
Still nothing.
"Sayaka's not responding," you murmur, feeling a worried frown crease your brow. Mami looks even
more worried, now. You grope for your phone, and dial Sayaka's number. You're already rising to your feet, one hand holding the phone to your ear and the other clasping Mami's. You pull her to her feet with what you hope is a reassuring smile.
The call rings through to voicemail, and your lips press together.
That's
not good.
One last check that the stove is off, a small effort of will to cleanse your Gem, and then... "
Homura?" This time, you include Mami, too.
"
Yes?" the time traveller responds.
"
Can you come and get Mami and I by timestop?" you ask.
"
On my way," she says.
You nod to your-
-self. Violet eyes framed by long, black hair meet yours. Homura's expression is flat and nearly unreadable, the slightest hint of a frown on her face. The oppressive silence and grey hues of the timestop press in all around you, lifeless and uncomfortable. Mami, like you, glances around, her grip tightening on your hand, and you suppress an unhappy grimace, instead focusing on Homura.
"Hey, Homura," you say. "Thanks for coming."
Homura's eyes soften slightly, the frown easing, and she nods.
"OK," you say. "So... Oriko said that she wants us to meet her."
"Yes," the time traveller says, voice toneless.
"Shall we?" you say. "And, um, Mami, could you..."
Mami nods, her hair brushing limply against her shoulders. Golden ribbon spools out from her hand, as if drawn from some unseen reel, and it wraps around your waist, and then Homura's. The time traveller nods her thanks at Mami, stepping back from you before heading over to the door, hanging slightly ajar.
"Mami," you say softly, still holding her hand as you head out. "It'll be OK. We'll do this together."
She gives you a small, wavering smile in response as the three of you head out, hopping over the roofs. The swish of air and your breaths accompany the three of you. An occasional sharp crack here and there is concrete breaking underfoot.
Some unspoken urgency impels all three of you, and by silent agreement, you push hard, speeding across Mitakihara in record time. You reach Oriko's mansion quickly, finding Kirika frozen in the act of sliding the glass door open.
The three of you file pass Kirika, frozen mid bounce and mid grin, to find Oriko waiting in the living room. You'd caught her mid blink, apparently, eyelids drooping out of phase with each other and you fight off an extraordinarily inappropriate giggle.
"Mami?" you say. "Could you do the honours?"
"Of course," she says, reaching out one hand. A quiet click comes from Homura's direction, and you look over just in time to see her withdraw a pistol from her shield.
At the touch of Mami's ribbon, colour suffuses Oriko's form. She blinks, shivering slightly as she looks around. "Hello," she greets all of you, blinking quickly.
"Hello, Oriko," you say.
She blows out a hard breath. "This shouldn't have happened," she says without further preamble. A pained frown creases her forehead, and she rubs at it as she speaks. "The Witch you asked about shouldn't have reached Mitakihara so soon."
"Go on?" you say. Mami shuffles up beside you, and takes your hand in hers. Her fingers are cold against yours.
"It
shouldn't have happened," she says, a strained note in her voice. "It
can't have happened. Miki Sayaka
should be at home right now."
You frown at her, perplexed.
[] Write-in
=====
Bah. Life.
