We already asked what she wanted, and she told us she didn't know and also talked about how she thinks she's not good at figthing...
So, the only thing left to do is aknoweledge her feelings; so, I wrote this:
[] She's not a burden, she only has a strong desire to help, which not many people have, we've been so controlling of everything is normal she would feel she's not doing enough, we're sorry.
[] She may not be as good at figthing as Mami, Homura or Kyouko; but, as we see it, she has two options: to think she will never be good enough, and stay like that, or train to get at their level; hell, her powers are already amazing, even Kyouko was surprised.
[] While she has all the right to feel like that, we're worried, we're not sure whether she already figured it out or not but: explain grief spiraling and how full grief corruption causes death, but let out the witching out part.
-[] We also worry about Mami, Homura, Kyouko and Yuma; Mami was hurt deeply by Kyubey, and Homura's is prone to bottle up her emotions, they both need friends that love them and Sayaka has already helped us with that. If asked, explain Kyouko scarce hunting problem, her homelessness, her dislike for charity and why she refused the clear seed.
[] Tell her to practice her clonning power and clear the city of familiars.
The bad thing is that it is two hundred words exactly, doesn't talk about the Incomming Meguca and I feel the last line is too small compared to it's importance.
EDIT: in red is the part that I think can be taken off and exchanged for: Mamihugs! and Karaoke!
Or maybe I should change it to "she wants to help, but we haven't let her", I mean, that is not exactly true, but many people have already pointed how our worrying so much may have lead to her feeling this way... I wanted to write something along those lines... but there's the word count and my english is not that good.
Thiiiisss, we need to suggest this someone, we neeeed to sing this with Mami <3 <3 Doki doki actual tears
I mean, even beyond the squeeedaawwwwhuuugg perfection, its got the line "We'll crush our enemies, bring them to their knees, and though I have a tendency to babble" like Holy Momdokami above.
Cleaned up some redundant bits, implemented some suggestions. 193 words.
[x] Sit next to Sayaka and comfort her.
[x] Whether she believes it or not, she's doing a great job, especially for only having done it for a week. She's not a burden. We're not making her do all this extra training because we think she's not good, we're just trying to give her all the tools that we can. She's always so damn brave, we're afraid she'll take risks. We're kind of a control freak that way. We don't want anyone to fight alone. We're stronger and safer together.
[x] We worry about her a lot, not because she's not strong but because we care. We worry about everyone. We worry about Homura and Kyouko, too. Mami's the greatest, but we worry about her the most of all. We're scared, all the time, of losing the people we love. Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known.
[x] There's going to be a lot of new magical girls coming to town soon. We're going to be depending on her. She's one of the only MGs we can trust to always do the right thing.
Thiiiisss, we need to suggest this someone, we neeeed to sing this with Mami <3 <3 Doki doki actual tears
I mean, even beyond the squeeedaawwwwhuuugg perfection, its got the line "We'll crush our enemies, bring them to their knees, and though I have a tendency to babble" like Holy Momdokami above.
But are we sure she already knows about grief spiraling? I mean, she has seen Mami, but she hasn't gone through that experience herself (not that she has to).
I frankly don't know whether to keep with Kiazuki's vote or changing to yours, but neither one has added this:
[] Tell her to practice her clonning power and clear the city of familiars.
Which I think can actually help Sayaka feel somewhat better, then again there's always the risk she may try to hunt a witch on her own, but that's what clones are for.
I'm right at the edge of the wordcount limit. And I kinda don't want to follow admitting that being controlling is one of our flaws by giving her an order....
I'm right at the edge of the wordcount limit. And I kinda don't want to follow admitting that being controlling is one of our flaws by giving her an order....
Well, if you put it that way it does seem like a bad idea, but she wants to help us now and the only other thing I can come up with is to tell her "help us however you want", which does actually sound like a worse idea.
I mean I like your vote better than mine, but I don't know if it would be best to follow Kaizuki's "give her some way to help, so she starts feeling useful while doing them" approach or your "tell her she's actually pretty great and explain why we act the way we act towards her (and tell her not to take risks)" approach.
The first one may fail because Sayaka wants to help through figthing, and while the second one adresses this, she may still feel useless afterward, so... is not... perfect... dang, I've fallen prey of the Perfect Solution Fallacy.
I mean, obviously a conversation won't be enough to change Sayaka's feelings, from now on we need to change the way we act about/regarding (?) her, that's a given.
But still, Kaizuki's plan also explains why we are being so generous to Kyouko / that's is not all because of Sayaka so she's not really as much of a burden as she thinks, and gives her something to focus on. So I'm at a crossroad here.
[jk] Firnagzen should extent the word count to 300 words.
[] She's not a burden, she only has a strong desire to help, which not many people have, we've been such a control freak is normal she would feel she's not doing enough, we're sorry.
[] She may not be as good at figthing as Mami, Homura or Kyouko; but, as we see it, she has two options: to think she will never be good enough, and stay like that, or train to get at their level; hell, her powers are already amazing, even Kyouko was surprised.
[] While she has all the right to feel like that, we're worried about her trying something risky to prove herself and about her grief spiraling because of this, since full grief corruption causes death, we don't want to lose her.
-[] We also worry about the others too; Mami was hurt deeply by Kyubey, and Homura's is prone to bottle up her emotions, they both need friends that love them and Sayaka already helped us with that. Explain Kyouko's scarce hunting problem, her homelessness, dislike for charity and why she refused the clear seed; training Sayaka is a way to HELP Kyouko.
[] Her powers CAN help, she can clear the city of familiars with her clonning.
I mean, obviously the wording is off but @Firnagzen doesn't need to make Sabrina say it exactly how is written, right?
Uhh, also, does Sayaka know black soul gem = death?
EDIT: but now that I think about it the part in red doesn't seem like I aknoweledge her feelings at all, The Narrator's one its better than mine at this.
You huff quietly, looking thoughtfully out at the grey and brown smudges of the industrial district below you. This isn't working. You don't think anything you said is untrue. You do think Sayaka's going to scale to be someone very scary one day. But it's not concrete enough for Sayaka, not right now.
You take a brief moment to wonder how much of that Sayaka picked up, unconsciously, from Kyousuke. Kyousuke, who defines himself entirely by his music, and here, Sayaka, trying to define herself entirely by her work. But then, if Sayaka needs something concrete to focus on, something she can do now...
"How about I put it this way?" you say slowly, slowing the platform and turning to face Sayaka properly. "You are a godsend."
Sayaka's gaze flickers over to you. "Mm?"
"I mean, look, I don't like to think of people, of my friends, in terms of what they can do for me," you say. "But if you want to talk about being useful, or not, you already are. Even in Witch hunts and such, you're not exactly a slacker, but you help."
"What do you mean?" Sayaka asks.
"I kind of throw you at new magical girls I come across. I don't know if you've noticed, and to be honest, it's not really something I mean to do," you say. "It just... well, it fits you. And... OK, lemme back up and start explaining from the top because I've made a mess of this explanation."
"... sure?" Sayaka says, looking at you with some perplexity.
"I am friendly, but overbearing as hell," you say. "I know. I try not to do it, but well, it's a tendency I have to watch. Mami is Mami, and Mami is awesome, so she's good with new people, but she keeps new people at a remove. You are naturally friendly, and you just... set them at ease."
"I... guess?" Sayaka says.
"Yeah," you say, nodding. "And, look. I don't consciously do it, but when it comes to meeting new magical girls, you're basically the perfect person to set them at ease, to work them into things, yeah?"
"I suppose," Sayaka says. "I guess I can see that."
"I mean, I guess what I'm saying here is: your powers are amazing, they'll get more amazing, but they're not what makes you amazing," you say, shrugging. "But I dunno. If you want a concrete example right now, look at Kyouko."
"... Yeah?" Sayaka says, frowning.
"In broad strokes? I already told you about her financial issues, but she's also got Grief Seed supply issues. Hunting's getting pretty scarce in Kasamino," you say. "And I'm pretty sure you've noticed she doesn't want to accept help. She's got... mm, issues that aren't mine to elaborate on."
"And you wanna throw me at the problem?" Sayaka asks, frowning.
"No. I want you to be yourself," you say. "Pushing her too hard is a dead guaranteed way of pushing her away. Just... the lessons are good for you, and I'm hoping that you'll be her friend, too. I'm not... I don't think I'm the right person for the job."
"Just be myself," Sayaka echoes. "I... guess I can do that."
"Yeah, duh," you say, sticking your tongue out at Sayaka. "There's one person I'd nominate for the job of being Miki Sayaka, and that person is Miki Sayaka."
"Jerk," Sayaka says, picking at her pockets and finding a bit of lint to throw at you. "You're terrible."
"Well, maybe sometimes," you say. "Seriously, though. Miki Sayaka is a good person to be."
"Yeah, I guess," Sayaka says, blowing out a breath. "Thanks, Sabrina."
You grin at her, turning to face forward again and juking around a smokestack. "Anytime. Also, if you need... I dunno, a direction to take your powers in, maybe work on mastering the clones first? They're probably the greatest force multiplier you can bring to bear, and I wasn't really kidding about the Sayaka police thing. Or the angel thing, really. Mikiel has a nice ring to it, I reckon."
Sayaka hums quietly, falling silent again. You glance back at her, but she just looks contemplative now, rather than sulking. You'll take it. Instead, you take a moment to check in with Homura where they are - you'd check with Mami, but you'd also like to give her a pleasant surprise.
Sayaka breaks the silence again. "You..."
"Yes, Sayaka, I really do think you're not a burden," you say, smiling at her. "You're my friend. You're good, and you're going to be great. And I think you can do it."
"Thanks," she says, clear blue eyes cutting to yours. "But, uh...I guess I was thinking it, but... that wasn't what I wanted to say. Um, well. Different topic, but we're going back right now, so I won't get the chance to ask you later?"
"Oh?" you ask, quirking your eyebrow at her.
She licks her lips. "So, um, how did you confess to Mami?"
"Ah," you say, more as filler than anything. This would be about Kyousuke, wouldn't it? "Truthfully, I... I never did, not properly in words? I care about her, and I spent most of my time with her whenever I can. She brightens my life just by being her, and I try to do the same for her. I... well, I care about her. I've told her that, over and over, but I suppose I haven't confessed."
Sayaka snorts, eyeing you for a second longer. "You two are sickeningly sweet, and no help at all."
You purse your lips. "You wanna talk about it?"
"I... I'll think about it," Sayaka says.
"Alright," you say, clapping her on the shoulder. "Hugs?"
Sayaka snorts, grinning at you. "Hey, I'm your ex waifu, what would Mami think?"
She opens her arms anyway, and you give her a hug.
"You're pretty awesome," you say firmly. "Don't forget that."
The rest of the trip back you spend in a comfortable silence. You're headed for the park, where you find your friends sitting on benches next to a pond, feeding ducks.
You sneak up on Mami. Her bench is shared with Kazumi, Umika, and Kaoru, but that's fine. That's enough room for you to sneak up on her, covering her eyes from behind and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.
"Hi," you breathe. "Guess who?"
"Sabrina," Mami breathes, melting back against you. You can feel the tightly corded tension in her body softening as you shift to hug her properly, arms around her waist. She leans her head against your collarbone, eyes sliding shut with a contented sigh.
"Oh my God, you two," Sayaka mutters, wandering past you to sit on the other bench, squeezing in beside Homura. Madoka beams at her, handing over a handful of breadcrumbs to toss into the pond.
"Hey, Mami," you whisper. "How are you?"
"Better now," she murmurs, eyes fluttering open to stare at you.
"Did you have fun?" you ask, addressing the question to Kazumi and her friends as much as you do Mami.
"It- it was good to catch up," Mami agrees.
"Yeah," Kazumi agrees, beaming at Mami, and then you. "How was your, er, your errand?"
"Good!" you say, tightening your arms around Mami. "Anyway, are we good for karaoke? Then we can do dinner, a Witch hunt, and uh... I guess we split up for the night after that?"
Hitomi looks up. "I am expected home for dinner," she says.
"Ah, me too," Madoka says.
"Hmm," you say, nestling your chin on Mami's shoulder. You have to kneel on the grass behind the bench to do that, but Mami is comfy. "Sayaka?"
"Uh... I think my parents want me home for dinner too," Sayaka says.
"Oh," you say, rubbing your nose. "Dang, that messes up the timetable."
"Not really," Sayaka says. "Um, we can do karaoke now, and then we split up for dinner? I can leave after dinner to meet up with you guys for a Witch Hunt, and then head over to Madoka's place with Homura for our homework study session?"
"Ah, that's a good idea, Sayaka!" Madoka says, beaming.
"Perhaps at my house instead for homework?" Hitomi volunteers, tossing the last handful of breadcrumbs for the ducks and dusting her hands off.
"Oh, I'd like that!" Madoka says.
Sayaka scratches her head, glancing at the Asunaro trio. "Eh... sorry about abandoning you so quickly, though..."
"No, no!" Kazumi says, flapping her hands in anxious denial. "We understand!"
"So I guess you'll be stuck with us for the rest of the night," you say. "Do you have anything to do tonight, after the hunting?"
"Um... I have some homework, but it's not immediately due," Mami admits, giving you a soft smile. "But you can help me with it, so it's alright."
"OK," you agree, returning the smile. "Now, onwards to karaoke!"
You slant a grin at Homura, who looks faintly terrified at the prospect. It's nothing really noticeable to anyone who doesn't know her, but it's there, written in the set of her eyes and her jaw. You think Madoka has noticed, though, judging from the way she sits, slanted just a little towards Homura. It'll be good for Homura to get out of her comfort zone and live a little, you think, but you don't want to push her too much.
You give Mami a quick smile and hug as you and your group of friends gather yourselves to start walking to start walking out of the park. Mami turns, giving you a curious look, and you incline your head just a hair in Homura's direction. She nods, taking your hand and following as you drift across the group.
"You alright?" you murmur to Homura, just out of earshot of Madoka. She's chatting with Sayaka, anyway. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"I'm fine," Homura says, voice tight and controlled.
"I'd say to relax, but..." you shake your head, smiling. "No. Instead... I'll say thank you, Homura, for agreeing to come along. I know you didn't have to. But it makes me happy, that you're willing to try. Madoka too, I think."
Homura nods, a tiny dip of her head. You let it go, drifting back.
Mami bumps her shoulder against you, a warm smile on her lips, and you squeeze her hand lightly. There's a touch of strain around her eyes, but it's ebbing fast.
Kazumi drifts over to talk to you and Mami, while Kaoru wanders over to Sayaka to talk about sports - you hear brief snatches of conversation about the finer points of softball versus soccer, of all things. Misaki, on the other hand, has joined Hitomi in a conversation about classical literature.
Eventually, you make it to a karaoke parlour near the big downtown shopping center. Hitomi insists on paying for it. You pick up a big jar of lemonade to share with everyone, and you all pile into the karaoke room with soft, padded seats arranged in a U-shape around a central table, all facing a big, brightly lit screen.
You squeeze in beside Sayaka, Mami on your right, and Kazumi on her right. Madoka sits beside Sayaka, then Homura, then Hitomi.
Sayaka grins at everyone, holding up a mike in either hand. "Who's first?"
"Me!" Kazumi says, beckoning for the microphone.
"I'll take the other," Umika says, taking the other and brushing hair out of her eyes with a resigned look.
"Whoo!" Kazumi cheers, reaching for the tablet that controls the playthrough. "How do I work this thing... Aha. Yep. Umika, what shall we sing?"
"Uhhh," Umika says, peering over Kazumi's shoulder as she scrolls through the list. "Uhm. No."
"Yes," Kazumi says, grinning, and taps the song firmly.
"Oh, no," Umika says, but raises her mike nevertheless as the first strums of electric guitar roar through the speakers.
Kazumi starts to sing. She's not... tone deaf, and she's enthusiastic, and she's definitely having fun. You'll allow that much.
Anything else... well, she's enthusiastic.
Kaoru, ignored prophet that she is, grins around the table as she watches everyone else. Still, she's the first to start clapping as the song winds to its end, grinning brightly at Kazumi. Umika flushes as you all join in the applause, and holds the mike out for anyone else to take.
"I'll go next," Hitomi volunteers. "Is there anything less, ah, energetic?"
"Yup!" Kazumi says, paging through the tablet. You're not sure why she's apparently been appointed song chooser, but you'll roll with it. "Got one!"
"Hmm," Hitomi says, eyeing the screen as the first strains of synthesizer filter in. "Is this another Vocaloid song?"
"Yup!" Kazumi says cheerfully. "I really like 'em! Mostly Niko's fault..."
Kaoru snorts. "No, it's your fault Niko likes Vocaloid songs."
"Nyeh," Kazumi says, sticking her tongue out at Kaoru, but quiets down as the song proper starts.
Hitomi's singing is... awkward. She's clearly had some training in it, but she's obviously unfamiliar with the song. She's enjoying it, though, swaying with the music.
"Again!" she demands as the song ends to applause from all of you.
And so you settle into it - her second round is much better with some familiarity under her belt, and Sayaka goes after her, grabbing the tablet from Kazumi and belting out some energetic pop song you don't really recognise. She's surprisingly good, and you grin at her as she finishes and Kaoru takes the next song. As promised, Kaoru does have an excellent voice.
"I'll take one," Mami says, holding her hand out for the tablet. She tabs through the lists quickly before finding what she's looking for. She flashes you a warm smile as the slow piano starts.
Your eyes go wide. You recognise the song, of course, slow and gentle as Mami croons the lyrics with her eyes half-lidded and warm. She doesn't look at you. She doesn't need to, swaying slowly.
Voting opens
[] Song for duet
[] Confirm after-karaoke plans
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
OK, look. I know this feels a bit filler-ish, but I have no idea what works as a duet song, so I'm gonna say: Give me one, please. It doesn't have to be in Japanese, but I would prefer something from 2011.
OK, look. I know this feels a bit filler-ish, but I have no idea what works as a duet song, so I'm gonna say: Give me one, please. It doesn't have to be in Japanese, but I would prefer something from 2011.
It's not a duet, but if we have a chance for a solo performance, I'm very fond of The Way I Am. My SO and I danced to this at that important public couple thingy people do to celebrate their relationship.
