Sabrina opens the door and steps aside, inviting Homura to enter first. She does, stepping in without fuss.
Following her inside, Sabrina closes the door with a soft "I'm home". Immediately, she giggles at the absurdity of it, since Mami couldn't possibly answer, being affected by time stop...
"Welcome home, Sabrina."
Sabrina's and Homura's head snap towards the owner of the voice, sitting at the table, placidly sipping tea...
"Mami??" Asks Sabrina incredulously, "how..." the words die in her mouth as she registers Mami's garments: A blue dress, stripped socks and... "Where did you... get that?" Sabrina's voice trembles.
Mami blinks confusedly, before looking up. "Oh, t-this?" She grabs at the big yellow bonnet sitting atop her head. "Isn't it n-nice? Uh... Um, I mean, a friend gave it to me!" She smiles radiantly.
Sabrina looks sideways at Homura, this one expressionless, before her eyes slide down, looking at the rope keeping them tethered together, and all around at the grey, colour-leeched room, confirming that yes, time stop is still active.
Sabrina's legs tremble for a moment. She looks back at Mami. "... Mami? This friend... when did you say you met?"
Mami tilts her head slightly to one side. "My friend? Oh, we just met! She came to visit just as you w-were... gone..." Her lips shakily rise into something closer to a grimace than a smile. "She told me the most wonderful things! Do y-you know how many fun things there's to do when you're with your friends? She shared some recipes with me... I'm sure you-you'll like to try them, t-together?" Mami's eyes lock onto Sabrina's, and she can't help but think they look too wide, the white sclera disproportionally large compared to the pupil...
Sabrina sharply takes breath. She blinks repeatedly and shakes her head. When she looks back at Mami, she does it a sense of dreadful certainty, as she moves closer to Mami, steps soft but determined. A second set of footsteps reveal Homura following one step behind.
Mami's expression turns confused, herself looking up at the approaching white haired girl. "Is something... wrong, Sa- Sabrina?"
Sabrina crouches before Mami, and gently grabs her shoulder. "Mami," her voice betrays the slightest uncertainty, "I need you to tell me more about this friend, alright?"
Mami's confusion slowly fade from her features, replaced with a vacant smile. "Of course!" She agrees, "I'm sure you'll like her, we can hang out together, we can have tea parties, and stay together, forever..."
Sabrina lightly shakes Mami, "Mami! Focus!" Mami's gaze snap back to her, wide awake. Sabrina continues, "when you say you met... her, just now, do you mean you met during time stop?"
"We're in time stop?" Mami looks around in wonder.
Sabrina's hands tighten in Mami's shoulders. "Yes" she answers in a whisper, "Mami, this friend, how did she look like? Can you tell me?"
Mami's breathing comes harder. Ignoring the question, she picks up at her teacup instead. "But it's cold..." she whispers.
Sabrina starts as she notices something: Across from Mami's seat, there's one more teacup on the table, sitting there half empty, as if left in a hurry...
A sharp intake of air from beside her, Homura, is her only warning before a vice-like grip pushes down at her shoulder, a sudden prescence standing in between the two surprised magical girls.
"Why?" The honeyed voice whispers in her ear, "there's no need for descriptions." On her other side, Sabrina can feel a soft weight, something smooth and long and feathery settling in against her arm. "If you wanted to meet me," Sabrina's head slowly turns towards the voice, "I'm right here."
