"I'm gonna try," you say. "I said I would right?"
"Just a reminder!" Kirika says with a shrug and a sheepish little grin.
"Yeah, well." You don't glance up at the trees. You don't sense Homura anywhere nearby, but that means very little with her timestop. In all likelihood, she's probably burning Grief right now checking between Oriko, Madoka, and Sayaka. "Probably not for a couple of days yet, unfortunately, with the way thing with Sayaka went."
Kirika nods, smile dimming a little. "Thought so. I get it." She leans forward to stage-whisper to you. "Who's
her oujo?"
Mami makes a strangled noise that's
most definitely not a laugh. Because if
that was a laugh, then the noise
you made was a laugh and you're not laughing at Kirika, certainly not. Because that would be rude. So Mami wasn't laughing. Definitely.
"Welllll... you see, Kirika," you manage. "It's possible for two girls that are
not an oujo and a... not-an-oujo to like each other."
"Scandalous!" Kirika says, straight-faced.
"Yeah, well," you say, shrugging. "Anyway, I had a thought - since I'd be doing shopping, do you want me to get you stuff for a date? You can do a candlelit dinner and stuff, if nothing else."
Kirika's grin returns full force. "I'd like that. Though, uh, get me a recipebook as well?"
"Yeah, I can do that," you say.
"Cool. Later, then!" Kirika says. "Later, Miss Tomoe!"
"Goodbye, Miss Kure," Mami says, nodding politely at Kirika.
"Later, Kirika," you say, waving with your free hand as the black haired girl turns and heads back into the house. You turn to Mami, meeting her eyes and smiling warmly. "Are you OK?"
Mami bites her lip, and nods.
You maintain your smile, gently pulling her over to the table that Oriko has in the garden. You eye the rosebushes, particularly the one you'd uprooted - apparently neither Kirika nor Oriko care enough to move it anywhere else, so there it remains to rot. You briefly consider covering the hole back up, at least.
Eh, maybe later.
You nudge two chairs side by side, sitting so that you can slide an arm around Mami's waist and pull her into a hug. "Alright. Give me a few minutes to check in on Hitomi and Sayaka, and we'll talk properly?"
She nestles against you, half turning so she can tuck her head against your shoulder. "Alright."
"
Hitomi, are you alright? Get home safe?" you reach out with your mind. Telepathy is
one thing Kyuubey's good for, you suppose. Though you have vague notions of figuring out your own telepathic relays so that you
don't have the specter of the alien listening in on your private communication.
"
Ah, yes, thank you, Sabrina," Hitomi responds. "
I took a taxi, and I've reached home."
"
That's good," you say. "
Sorry, just checking in."
"
I appreciate it," Hitomi responds, and pauses for a second. "
Again, Sabrina, I apologise. I... overreacted."
You bite back a sigh. Some part of you isn't happy at all with her, still. You're not sure if you should have just... knuckled down. You
do doormat a bit. But you can be the bigger person and forgive her, and you already
have, anyway.
"
It's fine," you say. "
Anyway, talk to you later. I just wanted to do a quick check in."
"
Mm. Goodnight, Sabrina," Hitomi says, ending the call.
You smile at Mami. "Hitomi's fine," you say. "And now for Sayaka..."
You could have called them
both at once -even talking to them individually, it's not like you can't manage parallel conversations- but that feels disrespectful when you're doing this out of concern. "
Hey, Sayaka?"
"
Hmmm? Oh, Sabrina," Sayaka says. "
Hey, uh, I ran into this red-haired magical girl, name of Sakura Kyouko. Says she knows you."
"
Yeah, I know her, she's from Kasamino," you say, debating with yourself whether to tell her that you've asked Kyouko to train her.
"
Right... she says you've asked her to train me?" Sayaka asks. There's an audible wince in her voice. "
Uh, actually, she said she's been asked to train someone in Mitakihara and it's gotta be me?"
Which resolves your dilemma nicely.
"
Yep. That's her," you agree. You turn to lean your cheek against the top of Mami's head. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Kyouko probably insulted Sayaka's skill. And then turned it around, into something like 'yeah, I see why you need training'. A wonder
that didn't turn into a fight, really.
"
... are you sur- one moment-" Sayaka says, breaking off midway. "
Are you sure about this? She's kind of..."
"
Rough?" you suggest. "
She is. But she's also really good
at the melee thing." The fact that she survived this long running on pure skill says a lot, you feel. Of course, you can't tell Sayaka
that in so many words.
"
Right," Sayaka says, sounding rather dubious. "
Also hey, uh, about Yuma..."
"
Not my story to tell, but take it from me - she's better off with Kyouko," you say.
"
Uh... OK then," Sayaka says. "
She called Sakura tsundere."
"
Her new favourite word, I'm given to understand," you say gravely, tamping down
hard on the giggles threatening to burst from your chest.
"
I... see?" Sayaka says. "
Uh, she's giving me funny looks. Later."
"
Bye!" you say, and end the call. Looks like Sayaka's cooled off a bit - or at the very least, had her train of thought so thoroughly derailed she can't be angry any more. Which is good enough for you, and something of a surprise.
Mami makes a little noise, looking up at you.
"Sayaka's fine, too," you say with a warm smile. "Now, talk to me, Mami?"
Mami bites her lip, looking down. "I'm sorry," she whispers.
"Don't be. It's OK, Mami," you say, squeezing her around the waist. "Talk to me?"
"I-" she shakes her head, mask cracking. "Sabrina, I- you're just... putting so much effort-"
"Breathe," you encourage, smiling at her. "Breathe, slow down. You don't have to get it all out at once."
"It's- it's
hard," Mami whispers. "I just- Kyouko is just- I
fought with her and I, I- I might have
killed her but I couldn't
do it."
"That's a good thing," you whisper fiercely. You fumble for her free hand, lacing your fingers together and squeezing, trying to convey comfort and reassurance.
"I- I know," Mami says.
You pull her into a tight hug. Her head finds the crook of your neck, buried there like she's trying to hide from the world.
She doesn't need a speech right now.
You stay there. You let her shake, let her
breathe. Let her regain her balance. It's an old pain and not one that you need to reopen right now. You want to reconcile her and Kyouko, but... not now. This is not the time.
It takes a few minutes before Mami pulls back a little. "I'm sorry," she whispers.
"Don't be," you say, tightening your hug.
"I..." Mami smiles at you, wobbly but sincere. "What's next?"
[] Write-in
=====
What
is next?
