Hypothesis: Dedolere is related to the feathers in Oriko's vision.
The procedure is simple, here.
1.) Pull out soul gem and grief. Prepare to infuse grief into soul gem in sufficient quantities to cause witchdom.
2.) Ask Oriko about the results of the action if carried out.
3.) Put the grief away.
Expected results are either a normal vision or a feather end. The first is indicative of the unknown threat being distinct from Dedolere. The second indicates a correlation between the appearance of Dedolere and the appearance of the unknown threat.
This experiment can be carried out at any point when we are with Oriko and
not with Mami.[/spoiler]
"I... Oriko, I've thought of something to help learn about the feathers from your visions," you say out loud. You consider adding that you're pretty sure that whatever you learn will be enough to convince you to not actually witch out, but on the off chance Oriko's mindset affects what she sees you decide not to. Besides, she should be able to figure it out.
"
Oh, we're making gyoza today!" Mami informs you.
You suppress the urge to smile. "
Dumplings? That sounds great! I'm going to see how much of that grief I've been carrying with me I can force into my soul gem."
"But first," you say to Oriko, "did you use the grief seeds?"
"
Ah, I'll do my best. It's pork mince with chives, I hope that's alright?" Mami replies. "
Wait... what?!?"
"Yes, I did. I was... forced to," Oriko says.
"Hmm. You've still got it, I hope?" you ask rhetorically, frowning minutely at the 'forced to.' You can sense the grief seeds on her person - one of them's pretty full. "The grief seed, I mean."
You respond to Mami. "
Of course it's alright," you say. "
I want to find out how the grief affects Oriko's visions."
Oriko nods, reaching in her pocket and withdrawing the filled grief seed. About three quarters full, if you're any judge. It's probably for the best that you
did give her one, after all.
"
Ah, isn't that dangerous, Sabrina?" Mami inquires. "
You're always so careful to take any
grief out of our gems, even when there's only a little."
You regard the grief seed thoughtfully, wicking away the grief with an effort of will. Billowing streamers of grief flow into the room from outside, joining the wisps from the seed. While you do so, you reply to Mami. "
With my power, what could possibly go wrong?"
Oriko's sea-green eyes open wide and she pales as you collapse the grief cloud into a purple speck that screams 'witch!' to your senses and hover it next to your soul gem. If it weren't beneath her carefully maintained dignity, you'd expect her to call you 'witch-girl.'
"Oriko, have you learned anything about those 'feathers' in your visions at all?" you ask.
"Not really. And they're not so much
in my visions as... replacing them," Oriko slowly says, tears welling up in her eyes. Had she really become so dependent on her visions so quickly? Or...
"
Sa-Sabrina!" Mami's... panicking? "
No! I don't think Miss Mikuni's visions are worth risking your life. Promise me you won't!"
"
Mami, I -"
"Now, Kirika!" Oriko sobs. Steadying, savagely, "Get her!"
Faster than you've ever felt it, far faster than you had believed possible, you feel Kirika charge and unleash her magic. As you lose control of the grief mote, it billows out into a cloud surrounding you. In the caustic darkness you hear Kirika say, "I love this plan, Oriko! I'm excited to be a part of it!" as she tackles you low from behind.
Disoriented, the only thing you perceive beyond your pain for the next few moments is the sound of the mansion's grounds being crushed underneath the constellation of your remaining condensed grief. The cloud swirling above your head begins to coalesce into a vaguely humanoid shape while Kyubey shares Mami's wordless panic with you.
The last thing you hear is Oriko's voice, now cold and brittle. "
You made this necessary," followed by the thud of the door slamming behind them.
"
Mami, I don't underst -"
=====
"Sabrina! Oi, Sabrina! Wake up!"
You're sitting on the ground, slumped against the rough wall of a building. You feel horrible, and somehow wrong. "Kirika?" You try to stand up, but you can't find your balance. Pushing yourself up the wall, about halfway your hair catches between you and the wall, jerking your head left, sending you back down to the asphalt. Your soul gem flies from your grasp and skitters across the pavement. "What's happening? Also, ow." Not even your voice sounds right.
"No time to explain everything. Your ojou needs you." She takes a step closer, leans down, and grabs your hand, pulling you to your feet, before turning and retrieving your gem. Multiple emotions chase each other across her features before they settle for a moment on rage, and she delivers a full-force slap to your face. "And that's a start for what you've done to mine. Oriko's
gone, and you're all I have left of her."
You try to bring your free hand to your face, but it somehow never makes it there. The pieces finally start to click and, "I'm in Oriko's body? But...
gone?"
"Oh! I almost forgot," she says, incongruously chipper, "Oriko said that," and here her speech changes again to mimic Oriko's careful, cultured diction. "'
Time is of the essence if you wish to prevent Miss Tomoe from meeting
Candeloro.' Whatever that means." Serious Kirika: "It better not be anything too dangerous. I won't forgive you if you let Oriko get hurt!"
=====
Yeah, let's not. Oriko's kind of known for
acting on what her visions show her, damn the personal cost. And Dedolere is an existential threat to reality.
Also, dammit Firn. Now I need to wait for morning. But hey, now it's longer and hopefully a bit more polished.
