You nod sharply, glancing over at Homura. She's a tight wound spring, muscles tense, and hands clenched over the grip of her pistol. Her finger, thankfully, isn't sitting on the trigger yet, merely lying flat along the guard. You briefly wonder where she learned trigger safety, but...
That's not exactly relevant right now. You glance at Oriko, questions poised on your lips, before they die unspoken. You grimace, glancing at Homura again. She seems to sense your gaze and looks at you with hard amethyst eyes, mouth set in an unhappy line. Tension
hums in her body, and she holds your gaze for a moment before flicking her attention back to Oriko and Kirika, watching them warily.
Your grimace twists, and you swallow the questions. Instead...
"OK," you say, nodding at Oriko. "I think we know all we can figure out at this point. All that's left is really to go and save Sayaka."
"You should find her near... district 189," Oriko notes quietly. She gives you another of those slow, measured nods, managing to look perfectly dignified despite Kirika continuing to work at her shoulders with... considerably more enthusiasm than skill.
Homura... Homura doesn't quite relax. But something indefinable eases out of her posture, and she glances at you again, expression inscrutable.
"Alright, Sabrina," Mami says. "I-I think..." she bites her lip for a moment before shaking her head. "Later."
You give her a curious look, before glancing at Oriko and Kirika. "Alright. Thanks for the warning, Oriko, and... see you later, I guess," you say.
"Bye, Sabrina!" Kirika says brightly, still concentrating mostly on giving Oriko a massage.
"Bye," you say. "Mami, could you?"
She nods, twisting her hands. The ribbon unwraps from Oriko, grey hues of the timestop claiming her and Kirika.
Homura lets out a quiet breath, glancing at you.
Mami looks at the pair on the sofa moment, before looking up at you and squeezing your hand. "S-Sabrina? Can I say something?"
"Sure," you say, looking at her curiously.
"I..." she licks her lips. "I'm n-not sure that Mikuni is... correct. I-I'm sure you haven't m-misjudged her! But she could be wrong..."
You tilt your head. There's more going unsaid here than is actually being said, you feel, but in this instance, you have an answer. "I agree," you say, smiling at Mami, then at Homura. "Which is why I think we should check Sayaka's home first."
Mami blinks in surprise. "A-ah, yes," she says. "T-that sounds right."
"I agree," Homura nods. She glances away with a sigh, and slips her pistol back into her shield.
"Alright. Let's go, then," you say with a smile, turning and heading for the exit. You push out past the rose bushes, Mami giving the excavated one an odd look as you file past it. A few minutes later, the three of you are roofhopping across Mitakihara, crossing it at speed. A dense cloud of Grief spheres trails after you, dozens of basketball sized spheres drifting through the air.
You let Homura lead, this time, and the three of you find yourself headed to a surprisingly -or perhaps
unsurprisingly- upscale part of the city. Not quite the same absurdity of rolling greenery as the Kaname residence or Mikuni mansion, but... it's a nicely appointed apartment block in what you recognize as one of the high class districts.
You suppose you can guess a bit at Sayaka's wories, comparing to her old apartment.
The three of you land on the roof, and make your way down the stairs to Sayaka's apartment. Homura touches a hand to the doorknob, and concentrates for a moment. There's a flash of purple, and the lock clicks open, Homura pushing her way into the apartment proper.
The entire apartment
feels new. The furniture definitely is, from the looks of it, and the
massive television on the wall, and the light fixtures, and the fluffy rugs, and... how bloody rich
are the Shizukis?
... you can see the source of Sayaka's fretting, really.
What you
don't see is a certain bleunette. You find her parents sleeping in the master bed room, which is just as luxuriously appointed, and you find what you're reasonably certain is her room, but you don't find Sayaka herself. No sign of struggle, either.
"Damn," you mutter under your breath.
Mami nods, looking worried. "Should we go to the industrial district?"
"Yeah," you mutter. "I hope Sayaka's OK."
Homura's already heading to the door, the ribbon tied in the middle of her back drifting after her in the still air in two long tails to match her hair.
... when was the last time you saw Homura do a hair flip, anyway?
The three of you head out to the industrial district, Homura again in the lead.
The industrial district is frozen, and difficult terrain for roofhopping, what with the proliferation of odd, metallic structures and towers in odd protrusions, interspersed by low slung buildings and factories. You make your way towards the place Oriko had indicated, and you find yourselves in a looming forest of girders, deep shadows cast by the evening sun.
"There," Homura murmurs, spotting Sayaka first.
You follow the time traveller's pointing finger to see Sayaka. She seems... off-kilter, leaning drunkenly to the side, mid-step. Her head hangs forward, fringe shading her eyes, and...
There's a sigil on her neck, stark black on white and radiating tapered spikes. You can feel it in your Grief senses, glowing with muted, malevolent intent. Something you've seen before. A Witch's kiss.
You can feel the Barrier, not terribly far from her.
[] Write-in
=====
Do you hear that?