This mortal coil pt. 25
Mami excuses herself to wash her hands, returning just as Kirika bounces up the stairs, carrying plastic bags bulging with cardboard boxes and drink cups. "Food's here~" Kirika chirps, setting the bags down on the bedside table and digging out two boxes for herself and Oriko. The savoury smell of fried chicken fills the air.
"We are not eating in the bedroom," Oriko says crossly, frowning at Kirika.
"Yes we are," Kirika says, plopping onto the bed next to the seer and producing a towel from a drawer, laying it across their laps with a quick flick. "You're not getting out of bed until you're better."
You snicker under your breath as you claim the last two boxes for yourself and Mami, earning a glare from Oriko. You'll leave the mashed potatoes and coleslaw for later.
"Here you are." You pass Mami's dinner to her. She accepts it with a warm smile, letting it rest on her lap.
After a chorused 'itadakimasu', you all start digging into the chicken. Kirika isn't shy about her enjoyment, making happy little noises as she devours the chicken and sending crumbs showering over the towel.
"So anyway," you say after taking the initial edge off.your hunger. "I'm thinking of how to proceed from here - does anyone have any suggestions?"
Oriko glances at you, somehow contriving to be absolutely tidy and refined as she peels the skin off the chicken. "You're the closest to an expert on... Soul matters we have here," she points out.
... Madokami damn it but she's right.
Hopefully that'll only last until the puella magi you've mentally dubbed the soulguca gets here.
"Ah... Sabrina, you said something about enchantment?" Mami asks, nibbling on a drumstick.
"Yeah," you say, tucking back a stray lock of hair with your as-yet-ungreasy hand. "So... OK. I'm hoping that enchantment is the key to helping you, Oriko, because it's frankly the most versatile thing we have available to us. Hypothetically, I could so something with Grief, but that'd dissipate as soon as I left."
Oriko shakes her head. "The problem is that none of us are able to make enchantments," she says.
"Excuse you," you say, smirking at her. "Mami's absolutely amazing at this."
Mami blushes slightly. "I wouldn't say that..."
"I would," you say, smiling at her. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kirika flash you a grin.
Mami shakes her head. "Ah... regardless, I've never made anything like this before. I don't know how well this would work..."
"I made the antimagic rock," Kirika volunteers, gesturing with a virtually polished bone towards the rock on the bedside table. "Uh... What did you have in mind with it?"
"Well, we need to see whether that actually helps Oriko as is," you say. "It might, it might not, but if it does, well, it's probably going to shut down Oriko's visions."
Kirika nods, looking thoughtful.
"If the pain is, ah, magical in nature, then it might be worth looking at?" Mami suggests. "I mean, even if it doesn't directly help, I could try and learn how it's made and adapt it?"
"It seems to me that trying to learn about the magic of an anti-magic enchantment would be futile," Oriko observes after swallowing a mouthful. "Kirika, could you pass me the coleslaw?"
"We won't know if it's possible until we try it, Miss Mikuni," Mami says, regarding Oriko with a placid smile.
"Reasonable, Miss Tomoe," Oriko responds, accepting the little plastic tub Kirika hands her.
You exchange a look with Kirika, and she makes a little 'after you' gesture, a slight raise of her eyebrows, her chin lifting a fraction of a centimetre.
"So, uh," you say. "Mami, you said you could reverse engineer enchantments, right?"
Mami's eyes leave Oriko's, and she smiles at you instead. "I did," she confirms. "Do you have something in mind?"
"Well, I made a Grief thingamabob that gave me better control and let me enchant things easily," you say. "But the enchantment was... unstable, and wouldn't hold if I left the area."
"Ah," Mami says, perking up. "I could take a look at that and reverse engineer it?"
"That's what I was thinking," you say.
"Er... Sabrina?" Kirika asks. "Is it possible for you make something that lets your Grief things persist?"
You snort. Hoo boy. "Maybe?" you say. "I've been meaning to try, but uh, timing, plus I have a hard time deciding on whether it's worth it."
"Ah... would it feel Witchy?" Mami asks.
"Yeah, that's the other thing," you sigh. "Almost certainly." And you can't help but wonder if that would entail creating what amounts to a Familiar. Which, uh, bad touch. You're... pretty sure you're not a Witch, yes.
Mami nods, mouth twisting. "That might not work the best," she says. "It's quite noticeable even from a distance away..."
"Probably not that, then," Kirika says, looking glum. "Uh... I suppose I can try to make a new antimagic enchantment, if Miss Tomoe's examining the old one?"
"Mm," you nod in agreement, snagging mashed potatoes for yourself. You take a moment to consider whether Japan is real before discarding that thought as utterly absurd. Why'd that even occur to you?
Oriko blinks slowly. "I shall try to enchant directly for pain removal," she volunteers, sound unsure.
"You do that - and like I said earlier, stop trying to use your foresight on it," you say, waving a greasy hand at her. "Enchantment is a skill you have to learn-" you glance at Mami, who nods in confirmation, "-so if you don't actually start, all you'll see is yourself failing."
"Think of it as... akin to mathematics," Mami supplies. "There is a 'right' way to do things that will work for one problem, but there are also generally applicable skills that you have to learn."
Oriko nods. "Noted."
"Alright then," you say, rolling your shoulders.
"What will you do, Sabrina?" Kirika asks, citrine eyes bright with hope.
[] Write-in
On a mostly unrelated note, KFC Japan did this for their 30th anniversary.
No, I don't know why, either.
Additionally, please clarify on what you want to tell Masami about Ono.
"We are not eating in the bedroom," Oriko says crossly, frowning at Kirika.
"Yes we are," Kirika says, plopping onto the bed next to the seer and producing a towel from a drawer, laying it across their laps with a quick flick. "You're not getting out of bed until you're better."
You snicker under your breath as you claim the last two boxes for yourself and Mami, earning a glare from Oriko. You'll leave the mashed potatoes and coleslaw for later.
"Here you are." You pass Mami's dinner to her. She accepts it with a warm smile, letting it rest on her lap.
After a chorused 'itadakimasu', you all start digging into the chicken. Kirika isn't shy about her enjoyment, making happy little noises as she devours the chicken and sending crumbs showering over the towel.
"So anyway," you say after taking the initial edge off.your hunger. "I'm thinking of how to proceed from here - does anyone have any suggestions?"
Oriko glances at you, somehow contriving to be absolutely tidy and refined as she peels the skin off the chicken. "You're the closest to an expert on... Soul matters we have here," she points out.
... Madokami damn it but she's right.
Hopefully that'll only last until the puella magi you've mentally dubbed the soulguca gets here.
"Ah... Sabrina, you said something about enchantment?" Mami asks, nibbling on a drumstick.
"Yeah," you say, tucking back a stray lock of hair with your as-yet-ungreasy hand. "So... OK. I'm hoping that enchantment is the key to helping you, Oriko, because it's frankly the most versatile thing we have available to us. Hypothetically, I could so something with Grief, but that'd dissipate as soon as I left."
Oriko shakes her head. "The problem is that none of us are able to make enchantments," she says.
"Excuse you," you say, smirking at her. "Mami's absolutely amazing at this."
Mami blushes slightly. "I wouldn't say that..."
"I would," you say, smiling at her. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kirika flash you a grin.
Mami shakes her head. "Ah... regardless, I've never made anything like this before. I don't know how well this would work..."
"I made the antimagic rock," Kirika volunteers, gesturing with a virtually polished bone towards the rock on the bedside table. "Uh... What did you have in mind with it?"
"Well, we need to see whether that actually helps Oriko as is," you say. "It might, it might not, but if it does, well, it's probably going to shut down Oriko's visions."
Kirika nods, looking thoughtful.
"If the pain is, ah, magical in nature, then it might be worth looking at?" Mami suggests. "I mean, even if it doesn't directly help, I could try and learn how it's made and adapt it?"
"It seems to me that trying to learn about the magic of an anti-magic enchantment would be futile," Oriko observes after swallowing a mouthful. "Kirika, could you pass me the coleslaw?"
"We won't know if it's possible until we try it, Miss Mikuni," Mami says, regarding Oriko with a placid smile.
"Reasonable, Miss Tomoe," Oriko responds, accepting the little plastic tub Kirika hands her.
You exchange a look with Kirika, and she makes a little 'after you' gesture, a slight raise of her eyebrows, her chin lifting a fraction of a centimetre.
"So, uh," you say. "Mami, you said you could reverse engineer enchantments, right?"
Mami's eyes leave Oriko's, and she smiles at you instead. "I did," she confirms. "Do you have something in mind?"
"Well, I made a Grief thingamabob that gave me better control and let me enchant things easily," you say. "But the enchantment was... unstable, and wouldn't hold if I left the area."
"Ah," Mami says, perking up. "I could take a look at that and reverse engineer it?"
"That's what I was thinking," you say.
"Er... Sabrina?" Kirika asks. "Is it possible for you make something that lets your Grief things persist?"
You snort. Hoo boy. "Maybe?" you say. "I've been meaning to try, but uh, timing, plus I have a hard time deciding on whether it's worth it."
"Ah... would it feel Witchy?" Mami asks.
"Yeah, that's the other thing," you sigh. "Almost certainly." And you can't help but wonder if that would entail creating what amounts to a Familiar. Which, uh, bad touch. You're... pretty sure you're not a Witch, yes.
Mami nods, mouth twisting. "That might not work the best," she says. "It's quite noticeable even from a distance away..."
"Probably not that, then," Kirika says, looking glum. "Uh... I suppose I can try to make a new antimagic enchantment, if Miss Tomoe's examining the old one?"
"Mm," you nod in agreement, snagging mashed potatoes for yourself. You take a moment to consider whether Japan is real before discarding that thought as utterly absurd. Why'd that even occur to you?
Oriko blinks slowly. "I shall try to enchant directly for pain removal," she volunteers, sound unsure.
"You do that - and like I said earlier, stop trying to use your foresight on it," you say, waving a greasy hand at her. "Enchantment is a skill you have to learn-" you glance at Mami, who nods in confirmation, "-so if you don't actually start, all you'll see is yourself failing."
"Think of it as... akin to mathematics," Mami supplies. "There is a 'right' way to do things that will work for one problem, but there are also generally applicable skills that you have to learn."
Oriko nods. "Noted."
"Alright then," you say, rolling your shoulders.
"What will you do, Sabrina?" Kirika asks, citrine eyes bright with hope.
[] Write-in
[x] In your free time, telepathy Masami about Ono.
=====
On a mostly unrelated note, KFC Japan did this for their 30th anniversary.
No, I don't know why, either.
Additionally, please clarify on what you want to tell Masami about Ono.
