You take another deep breath. "Mami... There are... some things I haven't told you. I..." You swallow, watching her expression anxiously. "I don't want to keep secrets from you, Mami, but some of them aren't mine to tell, and... I'm not sure how to talk about some of the others."
You stop, still watching Mami's expression. A complex mess swirls in her eyes, that same fear from before making a return, and denial, and desperation. She licks her lips. "I... Sabrina, I."
"Mami," you say urgently, desperately, still holding her hands tightly in hers. "I don't want to keep these secrets from you. B-but. Some of them aren't mine to tell, and some... I'm don't... I'm not sure how to tell you."
You watch Mami helplessly as she works through it. Finally, she sucks in a breath, speaking in a soft, anguished voice.. "A-are you... S-Sabrina, I-I. Are you k-keeping t-things like. Like K-kyuubey did? B-beca- I-I- Sabrina.."
"But." You lick dry lips. "Mami, you mean so much to me. I tried to-" you swallow hard, "-I tried to protect you from some of the ugly things I know. And. And I was... I was afraid of what you would think of me. What you would do."
"S-Sa-," Mami stutters. She blinks furiously, trying to hold back the tears glimmering at the corners of her golden eyes. "Sabrina, I... I can't- I don't-" She breaks off mid sentence, floundering for words.
"Mami, I'm sorry." You say it as earnestly as you can, your grip on her hands tightening. Your heart aches at the sight of Mami looking so lost, so uncertain. "I was wrong, and it was a mistake. Because a best friend deserves my complete trust. Because you deserve my complete trust, Mami. Because..." You swallow hard. "Because you've placed so much faith in me. Because... I want to be able to stand beside you without feeling like I don't deserve to."
You try, again, to swallow the lump that seems to be lodged in your throat as you watch Mami struggle with herself - with what you're saying. "And... it isn't right, Mami, that I keep all this from you. It's been... eating at me, Mami. And..." You try to smile, but it's a ghastly, half-formed thing. "You know me. If I see something wrong, I have to fix it. Especially so if I'm the one in the wrong."
You fall silent, watching Mami as she tries to process your words. Her mouth works, but nothing comes out, tears beginning to streak down her face. You squeeze her hands lightly in yours. "Mami, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to lose you," you say in low, wretched voice.
Mami shakes her head weakly. "I-I," she tries. "I. Sabrina. J-ju- I- Y-you'll s-stay, right?"
"Yes," you say fervently. "Mami, I won't leave you."
With an inarticulate wail, she lunges at you, throwing her arms around you. You return the hug, holding her close as she shivers in your embrace. "I'm here, Mami," you say. "I'm here. And I'm here to stay."
She doesn't cry much, curling into your side, cold shudders wracking her body in quivering waves. You hold on to her, trying to comfort her, to reassure you that you're not leaving her.
"Mami," you say softly, stroking her back gently. "I. I'm going to tell you everything I can. I'm going to... struggle through whatever's difficult to explain." You can think of a few ways to do it, including an object demonstration of your knowledge. But...
"For what isn't mine to tell, I'll try to persuade them," you continue on. "But... Mami, there's some things I'm-" you gulp softly, thinking of what could happen, has happened elsewhen, "-too afraid to say... please, Mami, I beg for time. Just... enough time for me to work through my... fears."
"N-n," Mami says. "N-no. I. I-I don't n-need to k-know, Sabrina. J-just. Just. Stay. I, I, it's alright." Her Soul Gem, the ring on her finger, doesn't seem to be accumulating much more accumulation at the moment. It's... about a third full. Not critical, but not healthy, either.
"Some of it's..." you press your lips together, mulling over how best to put it. "Some of it's just things about... myself that I want to share with you, Mami. It's... kinda stupid for me to call them secrets at all. Just... things I haven't gotten around to saying, or... things that don't make sense. That I don't understand myself, yet."
Mami remains looking up at you, anxiety growing in her eyes. "S-Sabrina, y-you-"
You shake your head, sighing. "Beyond that... there's some... tragic stories about... other people that aren't mine to tell," you say halting, picking your way around the words. "That I can't tell without permission. A few things I feel... guilty for. Some things I know that aren't easy to explain."
Mami reaches up to you. "Sabrina, I... you d-don't- It's a-alright, y-you're... I-I. I'm s-sure it's not s-so bad."
Which is why our emphasis is so very important here. Make it clear how much we're torn up/regret it- and Sabrina canonically does feel that way IC, which helps.
"Mami, remember that I said that there were secrets I wanted to tell you? I really don't want to keep them hidden from you. Like I said, they're difficult to explain, but I'll do my best. This one is a little strange. As I told you, I don't remember anything about my life from before Madoka and Sayaka found me. What I haven't really told you before now, because I wasn't sure how to do it, was that I remembered other things. Thins I shouldn't be able to know. From random trivia, to events from the lives of some people in this and a couple of other cities. You were one of the girls I remembered. Even before I met you, I somehow knew that you were a wonderful person and wanted to be your friend. And I discovered that I was right to think that."
Ehhh... kind of? We knew about her, more than her. We care more about her now than back then.
A little more honest? We were drawn to her first because we knew she was nice and could've really use a new friend... we thought we could be that friend. We basically were drawn to her, to everyone really, because we knew enough about to know they're all good people in need of a bit of help.
Ehhh... kind of? We knew about her, more than her. We care more about her now than back then.
A little more honest? We were drawn to her first because we knew she was nice and could've really use a new friend... we thought we could be that friend. We basically were drawn to her, to everyone really, because we knew enough about to know they're all good people in need of a bit of help.
Speak for yourself, @Onmur -- if you're meaning the readership, then I cared about the happiness of all of them very deeply, all along. Homura, Kyouko, Madoka, Mami, Sayaka, all of them are good people who had horrible things happen to them that wounded them in various ways.
As for Sabrina...
She might not have the power to fix everything, to prevent or heal all their hurts, but it's pretty damned clear from the outset that she considered trying to do so to be the most important thing in her life.
If, at the very outset, Mami had reacted to Sabrina with open distrust and scorn, it would've confused and hurt Sabrina. She didn't just know about her, she valued her opinion and good-will, and wants her to be happy. If that's not caring about someone, I don't know how the hell you're defining the term.
Speak for yourself, @Onmur -- I cared about the happiness of all of them very deeply, all along. Homura, Kyouko, Madoka, Mami, Sayaka, all of them are good people who had horrible things happen to them that wounded them in various ways.
Sabrina might not have the power to fix everything, to prevent or heal all their hurts, but it's pretty damned clear from the outset that she considered trying to do so to be the most important thing in her life.
If, at the very outset, Mami had reacted to Sabrina with open distrust and scorn, it would've confused and hurt Sabrina. She didn't just know about her, she valued her opinion and good-will, and wants her to be happy. If that's not caring about someone, I don't know how the hell you're defining the term.
I'm certain Sabrina cares more know than at the start; the time spent together counts.
Plus, no. Story start, they're all characters based on an anime, I hadn't read anything of Firnagzen before, no way I'd be deeply invested on the characters he'd write.
And I think you're exaggerating how Sabrina would react to a distrustful Mami. Distrust would be the obvious thing to feel towards Sabrina, after all.
Pretty sure Homumom pointed at Sabrina and seriously considered killing her once; we would feel hurt if that happened now. It's been a while since we've called her Murderface in here.
"She's OK," you say. To Mami, to Kirika - to both, really. "We just need to heal her up and return her Soul Gem to her, and she'll be up again."
"I... OK," Mami says, unable to tear her eyes away from Oriko's body.
You touch Mami's elbow lightly, gently steering her aside. You throw Kirika an apologetic look, but she nods slightly. She shakes her head and motions silently towards Mami, an understanding look on her face.
"Mami," you say, pulling her into a hug. "Are you OK?"
She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "I... I suppose I am. It was just a... bit of a shock. It's like she was... dead," she says, swallowing.
"Yeah," you say, exhaling. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you."
"No, it's not your fault," Mami says, pulling back far enough to give you a weak smile. "I... I'm alright."
"OK," you say, tightening your hug around her for a moment before loosening your grip. Mami doesn't step away immediately, content to rest her head against the crook of your neck for a moment before finally stepping back, smile a little less wobbly.
"Alright," you say, turning to Kirika. "Let's get to it. First things first, I'll make a pain blocking ring, then you can wake Oriko up, and we'll heal her a bit, alright?"
Kirika nods.
"OK, so... Mami, this is going to feel a bit Witchy, alright?" you say. When she nods in acknowledgement, you summon a small blob of Grief to your hand and mould it. The Grief melts into a simple doughnut shape, and you bear down with your will and mind. Block the pain of your wearer.
You feel it give abruptly, the ring abruptly shining gold. Fiery runes burn for a moment along the edges before fading away, the ring singing with that familiar pressure of Witch.
You exhale, holding it out to Kirika.
Kirika accepts it gratefully, immediately sliding it onto Oriko's finger and interlacing her fingers with the seer's. She gives you an anxious look. "Sabrina?"
"Kirika?" you respond, gesturing at Oriko's Soul Gem with a smile. You glance at Mami and motion outside the room. "Give them some privacy," you murmur into Mami's mind.
"Ah," Mami says, glancing back.
Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kirika give both of you a grateful nod as she reverently picks up Oriko's Soul Gem.
You step outside the room pulling the door shut, and lean against the door.
"How are you?" you ask Mami, smiling at her and pulling her into a quick hug. You can feel Kirika returning Oriko's Soul Gem to her, and the seer waking up, the glowing conflagration of magic thatis Oriko kindling from her Gem.
Mami shakes her head, smiling. "I'm... I'm alright." She meets your eyes. "I am, Sabrina. I- it really was just the shock."
"Alright," you say, exhaling in relief. "How long did that take? To make the ring?"
"Oh... maybe a minute?" Mami says. "Not too long."
"Hmm," you say, filing that away. "OK, thanks."
Mami smiles, shaking her head. "Not at all, Sabrina."
You lean against the wall, looking up and down the carpeted corridor. There are... there were pictures hung on the walls, now merely discolourations in the wallpaper from where they'd been removed. A pot of flowers sits on an ornate table at the end of the corridor - lilies, from a quick glance.
... And probably Kirika's doing, if you think about it.
You shaks your head, and smile at Mami. "Anyway... How much do you know about what's happening with Oriko?"
"Only what you told me," Mami says, smiling back at you. "She's having some difficulty with her magic, and it's causing her a lot of pain."
"Right," you say. "Crippling pain. I made a pain blocking ring that worked on her, but it would only last as long as I was around, so I had to, ah, disconnect her." You tuck you stray hair behind your ear as you think. "Hm. OK, so... I've been hoping to make that pain blocking permanent. But my skill with enchantment is, ah, lacking, so I was hoping you could help me?"
Mami smiles. "Of course, Sabrina," she says, voice warm. She glances thoughtfully at the door. "Miss Kure really loves her, doesn't she?"
You shrug. "Yeah."
She nods slowly, golden eyes fixed on the closed door. Eventually, she sighs and smiles at you, expression warm and soft. "I see," she says.
You smile back at her.
"Hey, Sabrina? You can come back in now!" There's more life to Kirika's voice than you'd heard since this morning.
And when you reenter the room, Oriko's sitting up, aided by Kirika. Sea green eyes regard you with unruffled calm despite the distinctly unhealthy pallour of her skin. And if she's moving a bit more stiffly than you remember, well. "Hello, Sabrina. Miss Tomoe."
"Hi, Oriko," you say.
"Miss Mikuni," Mami says, nodding fractionally.
"OK, first order of business," you announce. "Oriko, we're going to heal you up a bit, OK?"
She nods, voluminous silver hair shifting. "That would be welcome."
Noting the distinct dearth of chairs in the room, you perch on the edge of Oriko's bed, Mami right beside you. Kirika's on the opposite side of the bed. All three of you stretch your hands towards Oriko, the gentle glows of healing magic in three different colours mingling as you work to repair the necrosis.
It doesn't take that long, about half an hour at most - there wasn't too much damage. You exhale slowly as you withdraw your hands, absently checking all your Soul Gems - Kirika's is fine, since it's sitting right next to the clear Seed. You cleanse Mami's Soul Gem and your own with a crook of your finger, a deep purple mist of Grief pouring out of the window in eddying whorls.
"How are you feeling?" you ask.
Oriko blinks slowly, taking a deep breath. "I feel fine," she says. "Your pain blocking ring works. And my visions are..." She makes an empty handed gesture. "They are sluggish. Not the usual... rapid pace."
Kirika's hand curls around Oriko's, orange eyes seeking sea green ones for reassurance. Oriko smiles at her.
"Alright," you say. "Anyway... Kirika, I'm sure you're hungry, and so are Mami and I. Shall we order takeout for dinner, or is there something we could throw together quickly?"
Oriko considers this for a moment. "Takeout," she says. "It would take too long to cook."
"KFC!" Kirika says, perking up.
Oriko smiles at her. "KFC."
You raise an eyebrow. "... KFC?"
Kirika beams at you. "Yes! Three piece chicken meal for me," she says.
"... Mami?" you ask.
She smiles at you. "I don't mind."
"Alright," you say, nodding. "KFC it is."
Oriko orders, speaking into the phone with terse, clipped tones.
"I'll go get some chairs," you note, wandering out of the room. Mami, naturally, follows you.
You let your mind... drift as you walk down the corridors, peeking into the rooms as you search for chairs. Oriko's... soul pains. Well. You could wait for the puella magi with soul powers to come by in a week, as predicted by Oriko, but a part of you can't help but worry that that would be too late.
And then there's the can of crazy that is Asunaro. Of course, that means dealing with the crazy.
And then again, there's the Soujos, the twins in one body. And Oriko had predicted they'd be arriving in... a week now, you think. That particular brand of crazy is something special. Collecting Soul Gems because they're pretty. Honestly, you should probably just snatch away their Gems the moment you lay eyes on them.
Frankly, exploding their Gems isn't even out of the question, you have to admit to yourself. You swallow. Killing... You don't want to. But if it comes down to it...
Or you could Witch them out, in hopes of reviv-
Your gorge rises, and you gag.
You force back the sudden nausea, the disgust with yourself for even contemplating that. You-
You didn't even like the thought of doing it to Kirika-
Mami's at your side, her hands fluttering as she checks your temperature with a hand on your forehead. "Sabrina? Sabrina!"
You swallow the bile. "I- I'm OK," you say, voice wavering. The back of your throat burns with stomach acid. "I- I'm OK, Mami."
"Are you sure?" Mami asks, peering anxiously at your face. "You don't look like it."
"Yeah," you say. "I'm OK. I just had a... really upsetting thought."
"Oh," Mami says, biting her lip. "I-if you're sure, Sabrina."
"I'm sure," you say, managing a smile at Mami and pulling her into a reassuring hug.
"A-alright," she says, leaning her head against you for a moment. Eventually, she eases back a little.
You release her, and let her step out of the hug. "We still haven't found any chairs yet..." she says.
"That's true," you agree. "Onwards!"
Eventually, you do find the chairs, and return to Oriko's room to find Kirika lying on the bed, curled into the seer's side like a cat. You plunk your chair down and sit.
"By the way, Kirika," you say, by way of filling the silence as you wait for the takeout to arrive. "That antimagic enchantment you made. How does it work, do you know? I mean, does it have an area of effect, or just people who touch it, or...?"
"People who touch it," Kirika says, glancing at the rock on the bedside table. "That's it, I think. It just shuts down their magic."
"Hunh," you say. "OK. Is that the first one you made? Do you think you can make more?"
"Yeah, and yeah," Kirika nods. "It... Do you think it will help?"
"Maybe," you say, mulling it over. "I'm not entirely sure yet, still thinking it over. But... Good job, Kirika."
She grins at you.
Just as you're about to say something more, you're interrupted by the clear belltones of the door chime.
"Food's here!" Kirika cheers, bouncing to her feet. She swipes some money from inside a drawer and heads out of the room. Oriko watches her go with a fond, wistful smile on her face.
[] Write-in
[x] Discuss plans on how to proceed. Enchantment is probably the sure fire way to go.
[x] Ask Mami how she'd begin if we were to start on a pain blocking enchant.
[x] Tell Mami about your magic control booster and your mixed success with one enchant as well as how it failed. Ask if she'd think it'd help her if she looked at a 'boosted' enchant.
[x] Continue to work with Mami, Kirika and Oriko on a plan with enchantment magic.
[x] Break for food at the agreed upon time/when it arrives. During this time, telepathy Masami about Ono.
=====
KFC is really popular in Japan. I have no idea why.
Also, cutting off the update here due to length, if you want to refine the vote a little more, go ahead.
Oriko blinks slowly, taking a deep breath. "I feel fine," she says. "Your pain blocking ring works. And my visions are..." She makes an empty handed gesture. "They are sluggish. Not the usual... rapid pace."
That's... probably a really bad sign. Beyond the obvious cause of soul degradation, it might be caused by going against her wish the way Kyoko did - she wished for meaning and agency, and few things are more contrary to that then being literally objectified.
Also, don't forget that Mami has a test tommorow that she hasn't studied for yet.
Rough Draft
[ ] Discuss plans on how to proceed over food. Enchantment is probably the sure fire way to go.
[ ] Tell Mami about your magic control booster and your mixed success with one enchant as well as how it failed. Ask if she'd think it'd help her if she looked at a 'boosted' enchant.
[ ] Mention your idea about making an 'anchoring' enchantment for the grief ring.
[ ] Discuss everyone's ideas, not just your own. Ideally, Oriko will be able to tell the best way to proceed, but even if she can't, once a plan of action has been established, have everyone fulfill their assigned roles.
Anchoring our grief ring is probably redundant. Since that still requires most of the group learning enchantment just to maintain the anchor. Once it's gone so is the grief that made the pain blocker.
Might as well put that time to making the pain blocking enchant since everyone should be able to learn how to do that instead of trying to maintain something only Sabrina can do.
Mami said that enchantments can be reverse engineered, so our best bet is probably still to just make a pain blocker with our magic enhancer and let her investigate it.
Discussion has always influenced Sabrina's thoughts. This time, said thoughts had a more... visceral reaction.
One that she, or Mami, couldn't just ignore.
Be careful with what is said here. This was the proof Sabrina is a person separate from SV and won't neccesarily share the same opinion as some of us here.
[x] Discuss plans on how to proceed over food. Enchantment is probably the sure fire way to go.
[x] Tell Mami about your magic control booster and your mixed success with one enchant as well as how it failed. Ask if she'd think it'd help her if she looked at a 'boosted' enchant.
[x] Mention your idea about making an 'anchoring' enchantment for the grief ring.
[x] Discuss everyone's ideas, not just your own. Ideally, Oriko will be able to tell the best way to proceed, but even if she can't, once a plan of action has been established, have everyone fulfill their assigned roles. [x] In your free time, telepathy Masami about Ono.
[x] After that, if you still have free time, try to diagnose Oriko's ailment using a grief book aided by a magic booster. If that doesn't work, try a grief scanner aided by a magic booster. Use whatever was learned from those in your plans.