"
Hey, Mami?" you say telepathically.
"
Yes, Sabrina?" the blonde responds as she transforms in the familiar burst of golden light.
"
Have you seen Kyuubey, today?" you ask.
Mami looks thoughtful. "
You know, I haven't." Out loud, to Homura, she says, "How about you, Akemi Homura? Have you seen Kyuubey today?"
You wince, a little. They're still on that full name basis with each other. Not unexpected, but still annoying.
Homura frowns. "No, I have not. I haven't seen him since yesterday." She then transforms with little fanfare, just a glowing burst of purple light.
You follow suit on the transformation, considering the apparent lack of Kyuubey. Where
has the little white devil gone? If Homura says that she hasn't seen it, then it apparently hasn't even been sniffing after Madoka, and that is... more than somewhat concerning. Similarly, Nagisa, apparently a prime target for contracting, hasn't even been contacted by Kyuubey.
You take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Shall we- no, wait. Cleansing? Better safe than sorry, right?"
Mami smiles, and obligingly tilts her head so that you can see her Soul Gem. You pull on the Grief, and it comes free as a filmy cloud. There's not terribly much right now, since Mami hasn't been exerting her powers since yesterday. Apart from doing up her hair in the morning, of course. Homura observes the process silently.
You turn to her. "Homura? Would you like me to cleanse your Soul Gem?"
She stares inscrutably at you for a moment, before finally acquiescing and holding out her hand, in a motion you can't help but compare to her offering her hand for you to kiss. The mental image has you smothering a smirk. Nevertheless, the Grief comes free just as easily, a somewhat larger amount than Mami's.
You add your own Grief to the small cloud hovering in front of you, absently ensuring that the marble of Grief you have compressed under your pocket is still tightly under control.
Homura nods, and without looking back at you, steps straight into the Barrier. You shrug and smile at Mami, before walking up to the Barrier entrance yourself.
You touch down in the Barrier, suppressing your instinctive revulsion at being surrounded by the enormous quantities of Grief. Your skin crawls at the feeling of being so overwhelming surrounded by Grief, but you force yourself to relax, as far as you can under the circumstances. This Barrier is
noisy with the echoing squawks of what you think are Familiars.
Mami lands behind you, while Homura looks around at the landscape of the Barrier with a faintly puzzled air. You take a look around, too, curious.
The barrier is a landscape of grand marble pillars and enormous terraced steps, arranged in concentric steps that descend down into the depths. At least, you
think it's marble; it's hard to tell when the everything is in shades of dark blue and black. Experimentally, you kick the one foot across the floor, scraping a small cloud of dust into the air.
The familiars seem to be raggedy, light grey coloured dolls with brightly coloured heads, huddled in groups scattered across the terrace steps, and the screeching noises are coming from them as they slap furiously at each other. Occasionally, one will storm away from its group, and then crash into another.
Mami draws a musket from thin air, and spins it expertly in her hands. "Shall we begin?"
Homura nods, and her shield makes a clacking noise on her arm. A pair of sleek grey pistols, ones you recognize as Berettas, appear in the time traveller's hands.
You reach back over your shoulder with your right hand, and then 'draw' your warhammer from your back. Even if you're just summoning it using your magic, there is a certain appeal to the theatricality, and you can see why Mami does it. Above your left hand, the small cloud of Grief hovers, still tightly under control, as is the marble of Grief in your pocket.
Homura flips her hair.
It's the first time you've seen her do it. Her hand, still holding the Beretta, smoothly slides back, just under her long hair, before flicking outwards in a single, flowing motion that sends the curtain of raven black hair rippling hypnotically outwards. Impossibly, not a single strand of hair catches on the pistol.
You're staring, slack jawed.
The gun in Homura's outstretched hand thunders out a shot, bringing you out of your stunned awe. One of the Familiars dies, falling apart in a spray of yellowed fibers.
Straw?
The dolls rear back in an eerily synchronized motion, and release an echoing howl that resounds throughout the chamber, before flooding towards you, small groups merging into a rumbling mass bearing down on the three of you.
A tight grin forms on Mami's face, and you find an answering grin forming on your own.
[] Maxim 37: There is no overkill. There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload!' (Full offense)
[] Maxim 4: Close air support covereth a multitude of sins. (Defensive support)
[] Write-in
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Bleh. Typing on phone is suffering.
