Puella Magi Adfligo Systema
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- puella magi adfligo systema puella magi madoka magica be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist bad decisions dating mami tomoe (tomoe mami) diabolical laughter friendship is the best ship handholding identity crises microwaving tea gets you put in the bad place names are important the body is the fursona of the soul this is not the baked goods thread we don't talk about rionna what could possibly go wrong? who in the world is azure sanfrancisco?
Julian Bradshaw
MSY Historian
- Location
- Local Group
...how about this picture instead?
(Not that I actually support showing this to Homura. Best case, we lose Homu points, worst case, she breaks down crying.)
(Not that I actually support showing this to Homura. Best case, we lose Homu points, worst case, she breaks down crying.)
LostDeviljho
Flame Dragon Princess
- Location
- The glorious Pacific Northwest
- Pronouns
- Any
...for some reason that looks more like Chiho Sasaki than Madoka, to me....how about this picture instead?
(Not that I actually support showing this to Homura. Best case, we lose Homu points, worst case, she breaks down crying.)
No, we don't show it to Homura; this is our objective. As said above, we want a big family, and Mom and Mom can't expect us to do all the work by adopting all our own little sisters.
What exactly are you pushing for here?
Julian Bradshaw
MSY Historian
- Location
- Local Group
Whoops, misread that.
In any case, aren't we going to have an absolutely absurd number of magical girls coming to Mitakihara? We're going to have more adopted sisters than we can shake a stick at. We're going to be redistributing little sisters based on capacity to provide. "Let's see, new batch... that's 3 new little sisters for Sayaka, 2 for Oriko, 1 for Masami, 6 or 7 for me..."
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
Them's fighting words.
Homumom is Love.
I guess being 'adopted' into the meguca family isn't too big a price for infinite Cleansing...
Mami shuffles into the living room, head down, a worrying frown on her face, completely despondent.
In there she finds Sabrina, who's cheerfully humming a tune while scribbling something on a notebook.
Mami closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
"I..." she starts, managing to keep her voice firm, "Sabrina... about these... sisters..."
"Isn't it great?" asks Sabrina suddenly, "we're gonna have such a huge family now!" she laughs.
"I... actually..." Mami mumbles, "wanted to... spend some time alone t-t..."
Her last few words are lost, too low to be made out.
"What was that, Mami?" Sabrina doesn't look up, biting at her lip while staring furiosly at her notes.
"N-nothing," the blonde shakes head frantically, curls bobbling up and down, "it's just... where are we gonna put them? T-there's not enough space in here!"
"Oh, don't worry," reassures Sabrina, leafing through her notes. "I've got this all planned out."
Mami's stare turns incredulous. "... You do?" she asks.
The white haired girl blinks, before slowly looking up.
"Yes," she nods. "... Why?" she asks.
"I mean!" Mami smiles nervously, "r-right, what's the plan, then?"
Fortunately for her, Sabrina all too happily ignores the blatant change of topic. "I'll have them live at Warehouse-kun!" she exclaims.
Mami hesitates for a moment.
"... At the..." she drawls out.
"Warehouse, yes, it's been furnished and everything, it's so cool..." Sabrina clenches her fists under her head, eyes shining, "... and kind of accidentaly alive, after the last few experiments..." she coughs, "but I'm sure it's safe!"
"Safe..." Mami mumbles, "...Wait, so your new 'sisters' would stay at the warehouse?" she asks raptly.
"At Warehouse-kun, yes," nods Sabrina.
"And not here."
"Ah-ha..."
"Not with us."
Sabrina nods again.
"Oh..." realization dawns upon the suddenly not so despondent Magical Girl, "oh... Well that's great!"
"... Yes?" Sabrina smiles, uncertain.
"I mean," Mami waves her hand, "do they need anything? We should bake some cakes to receive them!" she suddenly moves, taking out her purse and cheking it while she keeps talking, "and I need to check this Warehouse-kun of yours to make sure it's an appropriate living space for these girls, make sure there's no drafts and that there's enough furniture and electricity and food..." Mami runs to grab and put on a jacket, her mouth running on autopilot.
Sabrina gapes at the sudden change, Mami now surpassing her own previous cheer by far.
"There's running water in there, right?" asks, nay, Mami demands to know.
"Ah-" Sabrina falters, "I managed with enchantment magic!"
"And heating, surely?" Mami runs into her room.
"Yes!"
"And walls, of course, you can't expect them to live in just a warehouse, right?" she asks one room over, along the sound of her rummaging through her wardrobe. "You need to show me this place, I need to make sure it's perfect for our new 'expanded family'. You're right Sabrina, this was such a good idea..."
Sabrina looks down at her notebook, and after a moment, she closes it and leaves in on the table.
Mami re-enters the living room, now carrying a couple of suitcases and another jacket, which she throws at Sabrina -who catches it- all the while keeping up her non-stop barrage of questions and ideas for the relocation of the new incoming Magical Girls.
Sabrina's ears barely keep up with Mami's excited ramblings.
This is what it feels from the other side, she thinks.
She starts when Mami looks at her expectantly, having missed a question.
"Sure!" she answers.
Mami's smile is suddenly the most reassuring gesture in the world.
Safe, sighs Sabrina to herself as Mami turns away. Well, nothing for it.
Sabrina's eyes glaze over, and she spends the rest of the day following Mami around, nodding and humming along whenever her blonde friend even looks at her.
Preparations are made.
Sabrina somehow manages to convince Mami to re-name Warehouse-kun to The Most Magical Mamigold Hotel.
It's a nice day.
Julian Bradshaw
MSY Historian
- Location
- Local Group
...did Sabrina somehow manage to merge her barrier with Warehouse-kun? I'd be interested to see how she explains the maid!Sabrina familiars to Mami.
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
My personal goals for the future of this quest are to convert Warehouse-kun into a Genius Loci and have one (1) Clara Doll Sabrina that can either follow us around or independently go around helping meguca./Maidbrina Familiars are fine, too.
Stormhawk9891
NO GODS. NO KINGS. ONLY SSAPO.
- Location
- California
So basically the Warehouse-kun omake?
Maidbrina Familiars are fine, too.
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
Damn it, how did you find my hidden research notes- I mean, I totally posted that.
On purpose.
Of course.
...
I don't remember whether I voted or not!
[X] God. Win, son.
* Mami gapes at the maid familiars wandering around the house, dusting, cleaning, straightening up, offering drinks to the various meguca.
"We're moving in."
"Um, we a-"
* Sabrina ducks as a sudden flurry of ribbons rush by, carrying everything from Mami's apartment.
"Yes, yes we are."
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
"The witch feeling is not that bad, after all."
"Really?"
"Also" *Picks up a random Maidbrina Familiar* "I'm keeping this one." *Familiar panics and kicks feet while hanging in Mami's grip*
"Uh..." *Pats Familiar to calm it down* "you know we could just take a couple of these and stay at your apartment, right?"
"I'll call her Serena... Wait, we can?"
"Sure-"
*Ducks under returning flurry of ribbons carrying everything from Mami's apartment*
"What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
"Wait up! Where are we going?"
"To buy a new bed for this little one, of course!"
"... You didn't buy a bed for me."
"Hurry up, Sabrina!"
"Hey! Wait for me!"
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
Of course she didn't silly, you don't need a separate bed
Julian Bradshaw
MSY Historian
- Location
- Local Group
I'd just like to say that it's impressive how fast we've managed to corrupt @TheEyes. Less than a month ago they came first here, bright-eyed and thoughtful, writing long posts filled with analysis and vote discussion.
Now, there's color-coded Omake chainposts. Truly, the brain damage is contagious.
Hah, I'll have you know I'm multi-talented! I can be thoughtful and nearly-incoherent, sometimes simultaneously!
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
Ah, that's enough to bring tears to the eyes...
pantherasapiens
you were always my best friend
- Location
- somewhere over your shoulder
At this point it's not just contagious, it's virulent.
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
That's what I said!
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
It's the principle of the thing.Of course she didn't silly, you don't need a separate bed
Why does the new Sabrina get a bed and not Sabrina?
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
Well, I finally got an answer to my old question about what would Mami do in case she found herself tackle hugged by a Sabrina-like Familiar.
e) If it's a Maidbrina Familiar, adopt her.
Turns out it's:
e) If it's a Maidbrina Familiar, adopt her.
Anomalous Materials pt. 18
Well. You've plenty enough to be cheerful about, really, you muse as you absently direct the Grief of your wings away. Had a nice talk with your friends, and you think you're making progress with Oriko - or at least, you've sicced Kirika on her and she's going to make progress. And Yuma is the cutest thing.
Exactly on cue, the school bell rings. A moment of bated breath, and a chant echoed a dozen times over in a dozen different classrooms -Rise! Bow!- and then an explosion of noise as the students are finally released to spill out into the corridors.
There're your friends, Sayaka and Homura walking a space apart with the shade of Grief that's probably Madoka between them. You can't sense Hitomi, but that's not surprising. And there she is, a bright, glowing presence dopplering on even your Grief sense, disdaining the elevator to take the stairs. About three at a time with a touch of enhanced strength, if you're any judge.
You're up and moving towards the stair lobby just in time for Mami to appear. And three steps later, you meet her halfway, catching her in a spinning hug.
"Hi," you say, beaming at Mami as you set her down, keeping your arms around her shoulders.
Mami smiles back. "Um... Did something happen?"
"No, not at all," you say. "I'm just happy to see you, and, well, it feels like months since I last hugged you."
She laughs. "I missed you too, Sabrina," she says, warm and fond.
"Yeah," you say. "Yeah, I missed you. C'mon."
You tug Mami over to the benches and sit, Mami tucking herself beside you with a content sigh. This is nice. Just... relaxing like this.
Voices start to echo up the stairwell as the rest of your friends arrive - Sayaka first, bounding up the stairs with an eager smile on her face. "Hi, sempais~" she calls.
"Hi, Sayaka," you greet back, echoed by Mami.
Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi follow at a more leisurely pace, greeting you in turn.
"'morning, everyone!" you say, beaming around as they settle down on the benches, each producing their own lunchbox - except Hitomi, who accepts hers from Sayaka with an exasperated sigh. You pull yours out from your bag, laying it on your lap and flipping it open.
Sayaka, sitting on Madoka's left, leans forward to peer at your lunchbox. "Are those raspberries?"
"You're a raspberry," you counter, sticking your tongue out at her. "Want some?"
"What's that even supposed to mean?" Sayaka asks. "Trade you some watermelon for it?"
"Sure," you agree, swapping half your portion of fruit with Sayaka. "Mami?" You turn to your friend, and pass her some of the melon.
"Ah, thank you, Sabrina," Mami says, beaming at you and swapping back some of the raspberries to make up for it.
Madoka bumps her shoulder against Homura, sitting on her right. "Homura? You're quiet," she says.
Homura's expression softens a little. "Just... thinking," she says.
"Oh..." Madoka says. "Nothing bad, I hope?"
"No," the black haired girl says. "Not at all." Violet eyes flicker over to you for a moment, and then back to Madoka.
Hitomi giggles, tucking into her lunch with neat, dainty bites. "How have you been, Sabrina?"
You shrug, smiling as you start eating. Little octopus sausages again today, with some tofu and minced meat sauce on rice alongside some teriyaki tuna. "Not bad," you say. "Had a fairly productive, if annoying morning." And that's dangerous territory with Sayaka around, so you hasten to add, "I hunted a Witch, too."
Hitomi wrinkles her nose. "What is that like?"
"Well... My powers are kind of very very good at fighting Witches, so..." you shrug. "I won't say it was easy, but I have an easier time than most magical girls, honestly."
Mami nods in agreement, nudging you lightly with her elbow. "Witch fights can be utterly terrifying."
"They can," you agree, glancing at Sayaka.
Sayaka rocks back and forth. "But I'll have both of you with me later, right?" she asks, her serious expression nevertheless tinged by excitement. "And, um, Homura, if you can make it?"
Homura shrugs with a shoulder, slowly putting away her lunch with mechanical efficiency. "We'll see."
Undeterred, Sayaka grins at Homura. "Aw, c'mon. We'd be happy to have you along, right?"
"Right!" Mami agrees, nodding.
"We would, Homura," you affirm.
Homura's gaze cuts across to you for a moment. "Unfortunately, I will have an errand to run," she says. She almost sounds regretful.
"Ah, well," you say, giving her a quick smile. Probably something to do with stalking Madoka to make sure Kyuubey doesn't snipe her with a contract or some such. Which... well, you can see the reasoning behind that, certainly.
The conversation lapses into silence for a moment, before Sayaka strikes up a conversation with Madoka and Homura about their homework.
"Mmm," Mami hums, savouring some cod. "The fish is good, Sabrina."
"Oh psht, I just broiled it with a bit of sauce," you demur, waving off the compliment. "Actually, I think I used a bit too much mirin."
"No, not at all. It's delicious!" she protests, smiling at you. "And I can't even say I had a hand in cooking this, this time."
"Eh," you say, shrugging. "You needed the sleep. And it was worth it, right?"
Mami shrugs, her smile undiminished.
You chuckle, waggling your chopsticks at her. "Don't give me that," you say.
"Give you what?" Mami asks, angelically innocent.
"Oh, I see how it is," you say, rolling your eyes. You shift a little to address everyone. "So! Do you girls think I should get glasses?"
Your question is followed by a moment of faintly confused silence.
"... Do you need glasses, Sabrina?" Hitomi asks.
"Nooooo?" you say, holding your hand out to the side. A casual thought calls Grief to you, already moulding itself into a new shape before it slaps lightly into your hand. Squelching some sharp, inner voice of refusal, you drop the shutter shades onto your face and beam around at everyone.
Sayaka tries to hold in her laughter. She really does, one hand clamped over her mouth.
"Pffffftaahaahahaaaaahahahaaaa-"
The explosion of laughter sets off Madoka and Hitomi. The greenette giggles into her hand, polite and proper, while Madoka just laughs, loud and happy. Even Homura seems amused, a smile creeping onto her face and panicking in unfamiliar territory.
"No," Mami says, firmly removing the shades from your face despite the amused smile on her face.
"Yes," you insist, the shades melting into Grief that slips through Mami's fingers and reforms on your face.
"No," she says again, snatching at the shades.
"No?" you ask, shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"No," Mami says, poking you between your eyes.
This draws a fresh set of howls from Sayaka as she slaps at the bench, nearly spilling her lunch over the floor. "Oh my god you two-"
"Fine," you grumble. "Proper glasses?" With a flick of your hand, Grief obligingly forms a proper set of rimless glasses in the same deep purple as it always is. Without lenses, granted.
"A-ah, if you don't -snrt- need g-glasses," Madoka manages between giggles. "Why would y-you want them?"
You shrug. "Because they look cute!"
"You don't need the glasses," Mami says firmly, smiling at you. "You look just fine without them."
Madoka giggles.
"Fiiiiine," you grumble. "How about you, Mami?" You remove the glasses and poke them towards Mami, arms first.
Mami shakes her head, but obligingly puts them on.
"There," you say, nodding in satisfaction. "See?"
"Sabrina's -snrk- right," Sayaka offers, voice still bubbling with giggles. "You do look cute with glasses."
"Mmmhm!" you say, beaming at Mami. "Suits you, Mami."
Mami smiles uncertainly. "Well..." she says. "I really don't need spectacles..."
"They're just fashion accessories," you say, shrugging.
"Maybe?" Mami says, taking the glasses off and offering them back to you.
"Pass 'em around?" you suggest, nodding at the others.
Madoka's the first to accept the glasses and try them on with a happy smile. "How do I look?"
Sayaka grins. "Perfect," she says. "Oi, transfer student, you've been quiet. Whatcha think?"
Homura regards Madoka for long enough to make her start fidgeting, before finally speaking. "It looks good on you, Madoka," she says.
"Yeah, see, even she thinks so!" Sayaka says. "Guuuys? Back us up?"
"I have to admit, they do suit you, Madoka," Hitomi agrees.
"Mmmhm!" you agree, mumbling around a mouthful of sausage.
The rest of lunch passes with happy chatter, as you pass the glasses around for comparison. Homura turns them down, and you don't really press the issue - you'd debated it with yourself enough, really. And speaking of which...
"Hey, Homura?" you say as you lay aside your empty lunchbox. "Could I have a word?"
She nods at you, laying aside her own lunchbox. "I was going to ask," she notes.
"Alright," you say, bouncing to your feet. "I'll be back soon, Mami."
She smiles at you, patting your hand. "Alright."
You follow Homura around the corner, a blaze of violet light meeting your eyes as she transforms and reaches for her shield. She pauses, raising the shield for you to see before cranking it aroun-
-d. Her outstretched arm rests on your shoulder, her free hand offering you a bit of string. You grab the string, leaning against the wall. "So what's up, Homura?"
"The... errand I mentioned," she says. "I will be hacking the local meteorological agency mainframe."
You blink. That's not what you expected. "Uh?"
"They won't discover Walpurgisnacht on their own," she says.
That makes sense. "So this'll let them evacuate Mitakihara earlier?" you ask.
She nods.
You exhale, smiling. "That makes sense," you say, before raising an eyebrow at her. "I didn't know you could hack."
Homura glances away. "I... commissioned instructions from Inoue Yuuki in Ishinomaki a... while ago," she says. "It's not really hacking."
"... ah," you say. "How early will they evacuate?"
"A few days before Walpurgisnacht arrives," Homura says.
"And Madoka will be safely out of the city?" you ask.
Homura exhales. "It varies," she admits, swallowing. "She..." the time traveller's lips flatten together. "She refuses to evacuate, or... she's with the last to go. Sometimes..." Homura makes a helpless little gesture with her left hand, the hand her Soul Gem ring would be on. "She comes back. To fight."
"Right," you say. "Right." Kyuubey takes the opportunity to get Madoka to make a contract. Probably using the imminent threat of Walpurgisnacht.
"We can leave someone to guard her and keep Kyuubey away," Homura says.
"Hrrm," you say. She has a point. There are more meguca than there usually are, this time around, and there will be more at Walpurgisnacht. Especially if someone's unwilling to stand up to the Queen of Witches herself - they'd probably be happy to run guard duty. "Yeah, I see your point. I... Gimme a bit to think about it? And uh, in the meantime, I had a few things to run by you?"
Homura nods.
"Well," you say. "I've been thinking about Walpurgisnacht, too. I want to discuss Walpurgisnacht with Mami, get her support in getting help from outside of town?"
A tiny frown creases Homura's forehead. "I assumed you already have been," she says.
"Eh," you say. "I wanted your permission first."
"Do it," Homura says. "I... I would welcome all the help."
"Right, then," you say. "And... Sayaka, too. I know you don't always get on well with her, but she's here, and it would be... good to focus her on the upcoming threat."
"Yes," Homura nods. She glances away at the wall, roughly where Sayaka would be were it not for the corner. "You know how to deal with her better."
"Alright," you say. "Cool."
[] Write-in
In Japan, teriyaki fish is far more common than pork or chicken or what have you.
Apologies for the lateness, guys. Exams, and, ah, Dark Souls 3 have stolen a fairly substantial amount of time.
Exactly on cue, the school bell rings. A moment of bated breath, and a chant echoed a dozen times over in a dozen different classrooms -Rise! Bow!- and then an explosion of noise as the students are finally released to spill out into the corridors.
There're your friends, Sayaka and Homura walking a space apart with the shade of Grief that's probably Madoka between them. You can't sense Hitomi, but that's not surprising. And there she is, a bright, glowing presence dopplering on even your Grief sense, disdaining the elevator to take the stairs. About three at a time with a touch of enhanced strength, if you're any judge.
You're up and moving towards the stair lobby just in time for Mami to appear. And three steps later, you meet her halfway, catching her in a spinning hug.
"Hi," you say, beaming at Mami as you set her down, keeping your arms around her shoulders.
Mami smiles back. "Um... Did something happen?"
"No, not at all," you say. "I'm just happy to see you, and, well, it feels like months since I last hugged you."
She laughs. "I missed you too, Sabrina," she says, warm and fond.
"Yeah," you say. "Yeah, I missed you. C'mon."
You tug Mami over to the benches and sit, Mami tucking herself beside you with a content sigh. This is nice. Just... relaxing like this.
Voices start to echo up the stairwell as the rest of your friends arrive - Sayaka first, bounding up the stairs with an eager smile on her face. "Hi, sempais~" she calls.
"Hi, Sayaka," you greet back, echoed by Mami.
Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi follow at a more leisurely pace, greeting you in turn.
"'morning, everyone!" you say, beaming around as they settle down on the benches, each producing their own lunchbox - except Hitomi, who accepts hers from Sayaka with an exasperated sigh. You pull yours out from your bag, laying it on your lap and flipping it open.
Sayaka, sitting on Madoka's left, leans forward to peer at your lunchbox. "Are those raspberries?"
"You're a raspberry," you counter, sticking your tongue out at her. "Want some?"
"What's that even supposed to mean?" Sayaka asks. "Trade you some watermelon for it?"
"Sure," you agree, swapping half your portion of fruit with Sayaka. "Mami?" You turn to your friend, and pass her some of the melon.
"Ah, thank you, Sabrina," Mami says, beaming at you and swapping back some of the raspberries to make up for it.
Madoka bumps her shoulder against Homura, sitting on her right. "Homura? You're quiet," she says.
Homura's expression softens a little. "Just... thinking," she says.
"Oh..." Madoka says. "Nothing bad, I hope?"
"No," the black haired girl says. "Not at all." Violet eyes flicker over to you for a moment, and then back to Madoka.
Hitomi giggles, tucking into her lunch with neat, dainty bites. "How have you been, Sabrina?"
You shrug, smiling as you start eating. Little octopus sausages again today, with some tofu and minced meat sauce on rice alongside some teriyaki tuna. "Not bad," you say. "Had a fairly productive, if annoying morning." And that's dangerous territory with Sayaka around, so you hasten to add, "I hunted a Witch, too."
Hitomi wrinkles her nose. "What is that like?"
"Well... My powers are kind of very very good at fighting Witches, so..." you shrug. "I won't say it was easy, but I have an easier time than most magical girls, honestly."
Mami nods in agreement, nudging you lightly with her elbow. "Witch fights can be utterly terrifying."
"They can," you agree, glancing at Sayaka.
Sayaka rocks back and forth. "But I'll have both of you with me later, right?" she asks, her serious expression nevertheless tinged by excitement. "And, um, Homura, if you can make it?"
Homura shrugs with a shoulder, slowly putting away her lunch with mechanical efficiency. "We'll see."
Undeterred, Sayaka grins at Homura. "Aw, c'mon. We'd be happy to have you along, right?"
"Right!" Mami agrees, nodding.
"We would, Homura," you affirm.
Homura's gaze cuts across to you for a moment. "Unfortunately, I will have an errand to run," she says. She almost sounds regretful.
"Ah, well," you say, giving her a quick smile. Probably something to do with stalking Madoka to make sure Kyuubey doesn't snipe her with a contract or some such. Which... well, you can see the reasoning behind that, certainly.
The conversation lapses into silence for a moment, before Sayaka strikes up a conversation with Madoka and Homura about their homework.
"Mmm," Mami hums, savouring some cod. "The fish is good, Sabrina."
"Oh psht, I just broiled it with a bit of sauce," you demur, waving off the compliment. "Actually, I think I used a bit too much mirin."
"No, not at all. It's delicious!" she protests, smiling at you. "And I can't even say I had a hand in cooking this, this time."
"Eh," you say, shrugging. "You needed the sleep. And it was worth it, right?"
Mami shrugs, her smile undiminished.
You chuckle, waggling your chopsticks at her. "Don't give me that," you say.
"Give you what?" Mami asks, angelically innocent.
"Oh, I see how it is," you say, rolling your eyes. You shift a little to address everyone. "So! Do you girls think I should get glasses?"
Your question is followed by a moment of faintly confused silence.
"... Do you need glasses, Sabrina?" Hitomi asks.
"Nooooo?" you say, holding your hand out to the side. A casual thought calls Grief to you, already moulding itself into a new shape before it slaps lightly into your hand. Squelching some sharp, inner voice of refusal, you drop the shutter shades onto your face and beam around at everyone.
Sayaka tries to hold in her laughter. She really does, one hand clamped over her mouth.
"Pffffftaahaahahaaaaahahahaaaa-"
The explosion of laughter sets off Madoka and Hitomi. The greenette giggles into her hand, polite and proper, while Madoka just laughs, loud and happy. Even Homura seems amused, a smile creeping onto her face and panicking in unfamiliar territory.
"No," Mami says, firmly removing the shades from your face despite the amused smile on her face.
"Yes," you insist, the shades melting into Grief that slips through Mami's fingers and reforms on your face.
"No," she says again, snatching at the shades.
"No?" you ask, shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"No," Mami says, poking you between your eyes.
This draws a fresh set of howls from Sayaka as she slaps at the bench, nearly spilling her lunch over the floor. "Oh my god you two-"
"Fine," you grumble. "Proper glasses?" With a flick of your hand, Grief obligingly forms a proper set of rimless glasses in the same deep purple as it always is. Without lenses, granted.
"A-ah, if you don't -snrt- need g-glasses," Madoka manages between giggles. "Why would y-you want them?"
You shrug. "Because they look cute!"
"You don't need the glasses," Mami says firmly, smiling at you. "You look just fine without them."
Madoka giggles.
"Fiiiiine," you grumble. "How about you, Mami?" You remove the glasses and poke them towards Mami, arms first.
Mami shakes her head, but obligingly puts them on.
"There," you say, nodding in satisfaction. "See?"
"Sabrina's -snrk- right," Sayaka offers, voice still bubbling with giggles. "You do look cute with glasses."
"Mmmhm!" you say, beaming at Mami. "Suits you, Mami."
Mami smiles uncertainly. "Well..." she says. "I really don't need spectacles..."
"They're just fashion accessories," you say, shrugging.
"Maybe?" Mami says, taking the glasses off and offering them back to you.
"Pass 'em around?" you suggest, nodding at the others.
Madoka's the first to accept the glasses and try them on with a happy smile. "How do I look?"
Sayaka grins. "Perfect," she says. "Oi, transfer student, you've been quiet. Whatcha think?"
Homura regards Madoka for long enough to make her start fidgeting, before finally speaking. "It looks good on you, Madoka," she says.
"Yeah, see, even she thinks so!" Sayaka says. "Guuuys? Back us up?"
"I have to admit, they do suit you, Madoka," Hitomi agrees.
"Mmmhm!" you agree, mumbling around a mouthful of sausage.
The rest of lunch passes with happy chatter, as you pass the glasses around for comparison. Homura turns them down, and you don't really press the issue - you'd debated it with yourself enough, really. And speaking of which...
"Hey, Homura?" you say as you lay aside your empty lunchbox. "Could I have a word?"
She nods at you, laying aside her own lunchbox. "I was going to ask," she notes.
"Alright," you say, bouncing to your feet. "I'll be back soon, Mami."
She smiles at you, patting your hand. "Alright."
You follow Homura around the corner, a blaze of violet light meeting your eyes as she transforms and reaches for her shield. She pauses, raising the shield for you to see before cranking it aroun-
-d. Her outstretched arm rests on your shoulder, her free hand offering you a bit of string. You grab the string, leaning against the wall. "So what's up, Homura?"
"The... errand I mentioned," she says. "I will be hacking the local meteorological agency mainframe."
You blink. That's not what you expected. "Uh?"
"They won't discover Walpurgisnacht on their own," she says.
That makes sense. "So this'll let them evacuate Mitakihara earlier?" you ask.
She nods.
You exhale, smiling. "That makes sense," you say, before raising an eyebrow at her. "I didn't know you could hack."
Homura glances away. "I... commissioned instructions from Inoue Yuuki in Ishinomaki a... while ago," she says. "It's not really hacking."
"... ah," you say. "How early will they evacuate?"
"A few days before Walpurgisnacht arrives," Homura says.
"And Madoka will be safely out of the city?" you ask.
Homura exhales. "It varies," she admits, swallowing. "She..." the time traveller's lips flatten together. "She refuses to evacuate, or... she's with the last to go. Sometimes..." Homura makes a helpless little gesture with her left hand, the hand her Soul Gem ring would be on. "She comes back. To fight."
"Right," you say. "Right." Kyuubey takes the opportunity to get Madoka to make a contract. Probably using the imminent threat of Walpurgisnacht.
"We can leave someone to guard her and keep Kyuubey away," Homura says.
"Hrrm," you say. She has a point. There are more meguca than there usually are, this time around, and there will be more at Walpurgisnacht. Especially if someone's unwilling to stand up to the Queen of Witches herself - they'd probably be happy to run guard duty. "Yeah, I see your point. I... Gimme a bit to think about it? And uh, in the meantime, I had a few things to run by you?"
Homura nods.
"Well," you say. "I've been thinking about Walpurgisnacht, too. I want to discuss Walpurgisnacht with Mami, get her support in getting help from outside of town?"
A tiny frown creases Homura's forehead. "I assumed you already have been," she says.
"Eh," you say. "I wanted your permission first."
"Do it," Homura says. "I... I would welcome all the help."
"Right, then," you say. "And... Sayaka, too. I know you don't always get on well with her, but she's here, and it would be... good to focus her on the upcoming threat."
"Yes," Homura nods. She glances away at the wall, roughly where Sayaka would be were it not for the corner. "You know how to deal with her better."
"Alright," you say. "Cool."
[] Write-in
=====
In Japan, teriyaki fish is far more common than pork or chicken or what have you.
Apologies for the lateness, guys. Exams, and, ah, Dark Souls 3 have stolen a fairly substantial amount of time.
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