I was reading Day Planner, and when I saw Mr. Kure and Mrs. Kure, I thought someone went and rewrote Kirika's and Oriko's names...
Hmm. Could someone actually do it?
I was reading Day Planner, and when I saw Mr. Kure and Mrs. Kure, I thought someone went and rewrote Kirika's and Oriko's names...
Hmm. Could someone actually do it?
Yeah, sorry for disrespecting your labor.
... Why fix it, tho?
Sooooo
Tally
Edit: Redshirt Army is winning this one, it seems.
Adhoc vote count started by Raiseth on Jan 4, 2018 at 9:43 PM, finished with 131156 posts and 21 votes.
[X] Ask Kyuubey what business he has here specifically. -[X] You don't like that he's distressing Mami. Make it quick. -[X] Warn Niko and Kazumi that Kyuubey is here.
[X] Finish up with the furniture.
-[X] Let O&K have Anri. Oriko knows how to wake up meguca. Thank them for their help, You really appreciate it.
[X] Pleiades: -[X] Give them back the clear seed Anri took.
-[X] Try and gather their mood and opinions on today, on Anri and Hijiri, and on your actions.
[X] Ask Kazumi to let Niko know we want to talk some important issues once Niko's better. -[X] Probe Niko the Infohazards with the same care you used talking to Kazumi. Let her fill you in on things first.
[X] Sayaka:
-[X] Keep an eye on her without being obnoxious. Make sure her headache doesn't get worse.
[X]Hitomi
-[X] Check status of the apartment for the Shiogama girls.
[X] Ask Kyuubey what business he has here specifically. -[X] You don't like that he's distressing Mami. Make it quick. -[X] Warn Niko and Kazumi that Kyuubey is here.
[X] Finish up with the furniture.
-[X] Let O&K have Anri. Oriko knows how to wake up meguca. Thank them for their help, You really appreciate it.
[X] Pleiades: -[X] Give them back the clear seed Anri took.
-[X] Try and gather their mood and opinions on today, on Anri and Hijiri, and on your actions.
[X] Ask Kazumi to let Niko know we want to talk some important issues once Niko's better. -[X] Probe Niko the Infohazards with the same care you used talking to Kazumi. Let her fill you in on things first.
[X] Sayaka:
-[X] Keep an eye on her without being obnoxious. Make sure her headache doesn't get worse.
[X]Hitomi
-[X] Check status of the apartment for the Shiogama girls.
[X]Privately: Ask Kyuubey if he'll speak to you without showing up or including others in the conversation.
-[X] If he agrees, you want to ask about two things. The name and appearance of Kato Setsuko's witch and grief seed, and information on Aurora from back when she was a magical girl.
-[X]That's awfully snide coming from the one responsible for this mess.
-[X]Inquire as to whether it actually needs something, and if it can do that somewhere where it isn't distressing Mami; we'd love to chat, but we're awfully busy right now.
--[X]If necessary, insist by way of remove incubator REMOVE INCUBATOR
[X]Hitomi
-[X]Check status of apartment for Shiogama girls
[X]Niko
-[X]Ask how she's holding up
-[X]When she's up for it, we've been itching to talk shop with a fellow scientist-- in private, of course.
--[X]If she seems receptive, make an appointment to talk later.
[X] Kyuubey: Shoo it away gently [X] Mami: comfort [X] Pleiades: Try and gather their opinions on today, on what needs to happen, and on our actions. [X] Niko: Probe about the lich/Witch bombs [X] Niko: maybe come visit Mitakihara? [X] Niko: check Witch name [X] Grief Sense, then Ribbon Web: where is Hijiri? Is anything else nearby that we should know about?
[X] Pleiades:
-[X] Discuss teleportation counterplanning.
-[X] Gather general opinions.
-[X] Cheer Niko up. Pay attention to her.
-[X] Help prep for her later talk with Hijiri.
-[X] Propose further anti-telepathy enchantment on Airi.
-[X] Clear seed
[X] Telepathy Hijiri. If:
-[X] Let her talk to you, prompt her? What is she planning to do now?
-[X] Ask about original Yuuri.
-[X] Kyuubey conversation yet?
-[X] Don't mention Airi. Only defer till 'later.'
-[X] Else: Try to assert etiquette as necessary to her. [X] Ask Kyuubey what business he has here specifically.
[X] Give Kyuubey Grief. Don't antagonize. Normal dismissal.
-[X] If still engages you or others, postpone, close conversation quickly.
-[X] To gathering: Kyubey appeared, announce no time for him ATM, 'K?
[X] Immigration concerns, actionable.
-[X] Contact Hitomi, check status apartment for Shiogama girls.
Kyuubey. Always Kyuubey, always here to stir up trouble. And here and now, there's a lot of trouble that's just barely beginning to settle to the bottom, to extend a metaphor. Anri, Hijiri, Kyuubey's own lies in all its varied assortment...
"Make it quick, Kyuubey. You're distressing Mami, and I don't like that," you say sharply. Your arm tightens around Mami, drawing her behind you. Just a bit. "What do you want?"
"Kazumi, Niko," you continue by telepathy. "Heads up. Kyuubey's here."
"What?!" Niko snarls. You can feel her moving already.
The little white alien tilts its head, looking innocently inquisitive at you.
"Many things," it says, unblinking gaze fixed on you. "In this case, I am here to clean up after this incident."
"And?" you snap. "Why are you here, talking to me?"
"It is courteous to speak to magical girls whe-" Kyuubey's interrupted midway through its sentence.
By a shoe.
Niko scrapes to a halt on the roof, stomping her legwarmer-topped foot back to the flagstones. "Bastard," she says without any real rancor. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"Nothing important," Mami says, voice wavering only a bit.
You curl your arm protectively around Mami as Kazumi lands on the roof too.
"Then I'm just taking out the trash," Niko says with a firm nod, smiling at Kazumi.
You raise your eyebrows at Niko. Was she just hiding that vein of anger, then, or is this something new? You can't imagine she's happy about the whole Hijiri scenario and Kyuubey's likely part in it, but this sudden readiness to employ violence against Kyuubey seems... odd.
You huff.
Either Kyuubey will be back, or it won't. You were willing to hear it out, but if it doesn't come back, you're not sure you care enough to follow up on it.
"Ah, well," you say, shaking your head. "Anyway, Niko, uh..."
You fumble in your pocket, reaching awkwardly across your body with your free hand to find the Clear Seed. You flip it to Niko. "Here. That's the Clear Seed Anri stole in the first place."
Niko snags it, grimacing. "You're giving it back?"
"Well, yeah," you say. "You couldn't have expected all this... thisness, and I'm here to help. I'm not going to punish you for a mistake."
Niko nods, hesitating before handing the Seed to Kazumi, who smiles, and motions back towards her. Niko nods and tucks it into the pocket of her jacket, carefully buttoning the flap over the Clear Seed.
"Thank you, Sabrina," Kazumi says.
"I wouldn't deny people Clear Seeds, if they have good intentions," you say, returning your attention to healing Anri's cracked skull. "Much less friends of Mami, or my friends."
Kazumi nods. "Well... thank you, anyway."
"No problem," you say, smiling at Mami as she nestles closer against your side. "Anyway... we're pretty much done healing up Anri, so we're gonna hand her over to the Kures."
"Hey, Sayaka, you can join us here too, you know?" you continue by telepathy, glancing around for your blue-haired friend. "You're part of the team."
"Yeah, coming!" Sayaka says. You find her, still hovering above the building that'd been attacked, but now moving in your direction. "Just keeping an eye on the firemen."
Kazumi nods, eyeing Anri for a second. Her eyes go distant for a second, and the bear lurches into motion, great paw opening to let Anri fall. You lurch forward and catch her, just in time.
"Mami, could you finish up the ribbon furniture?" you ask, smiling at her. You take a moment to nudge the Kures' shopping to an out-of-the-way corner. "I'll bring Anri to them."
"Of course, Sabrina," Mami says, already spooling ribbon between her hands. You can't help but notice the way her eyes dart warily from side to side, still watching for Kyuubey's re-emergence.
You lift Anri into a proper fireman's carry, over your shoulder, and stride back over to the privacy sphere. You pause for a heartbeat before entering it, sticking your hand in and waving blindly as a... warning before stepping in. Satisfied, you finally push forward through the void black surface.
Kirika's sprawled out messily on the floor, lying on Oriko's lap. The seer looks up at you, but doesn't let that stop her from combing her fingers through Kirika's hair. "Ah, Sabrina."
"Yo," you say lazily, setting Anri down carefully and laying her out. "You remember how to wake meguca up, right?"
"Indeed," Oriko says.
"Furniture's coming, by the by-" you're interrupted by Mami emerging through the wall of the sphere behind you, awkwardly bearing ribbon-built table and chairs in her arms. "Well, perfect timing, Mami."
She beams at you around her armful, setting them down. "Thank you, Sabrina!"
You smile back, stooping to pick Anri up again and drop her into a chair, letting her slump over the table. "So... you can take it from here, Oriko, Kirika? Give us a call if you need anything, and remember that she apparently likes knockout gas."
"We know, Sabrina!" Kirika chirps, kicking her feet out and popping up right. She brandishes that string at you - and you can feel the greasy touch of antimagic emanating from it. "We've got a secret weapon!"
"Tie it to her ankle, dear," Oriko says idly as she stands, tugging a chair back for herself.
"We'll leave you to it," you say, and beam at Mami, hooking your arm through hers as you both step out of the privacy sphere.
This time, you find Sayaka, and the entire constellation of Pleiades waiting for you, sitting in a large circle. Sayaka waves you over, grinning at you. She's... actually a little pale, and perhaps a touch sweaty, but she looks satisfied.
"Hey," you say, plopping down beside her cross-legged. "Are you alright? Headache?"
"Yeah," she says. "Just a bit of a strain. I cleansed, don't worry."
"Well done, Sayaka," Mami says warmly. "You did much better than I did, my first few times out."
"Ah, well..." Sayaka demurs, looking embarrassed. "I have good role models."
Mami beams back, and you grin, clapping Sayaka on the shoulder.
"If I may," Saki says, looking across the circle to you. She pushes her monocle up her nose as she speaks. "Sabrina, why did you let Hijiri go?"
"Saki!" Kazumi says, looking scandalized. "I already explained!"
"I want to hear it from her own mouth," Saki counters, unperturbed.
"You can't-"
"It's alright, Kazumi," you say, waving her off. "I don't mind. But... I'll tell you all the same thing I told Kazumi and Niko, with permission from Niko?"
You get a tight, careful nod from Niko, and continue. "Saki, Mirai, Kaoru, Satomi, Umika... you all know Niko much better than I do. So let me put a scenario to all of you..."
You watch them all as you explain. Mirai seems angry, if anything, shading between outrage and seething disgust, eyes darting over your shoulder to the privacy field every now and then. Saki and Umika are calm, by contrast, eyes fixed on you and dissecting your argument.
"That's bullshit!" Kaoru cries. "Niko wouldn't do that."
"Oh yes, I would," Niko counters. "C'mon, Kaoru, I would in a heartbeat."
"No, you wouldn't, you-" Kaoru stops halfway.
You glance at Niko. Her eyes bore into Kaoru, intent and... pleading? Telepathy, then. Your guess is confirmed by those familiar subvocalizations, and you don't think it's just Niko and Kaoru, either, judging by the flickering expressions going all around the circle.
Ah, well. This... these aren't your friends. They're not your group of friends, back in Mitakihara, and they have their own history.
Mami nudges you gently, hand on your elbow, and tilts her chin at the far corner of the roof - away from the circle of discussion and away from the void-black privacy sphere.
You nod slightly in agreement.
"Please excuse us," Mami says, rising gracefully to her feet. You stand with her, Sayaka belatedly scrambling up after realising. "We'll leave you your privacy for the discussion, unless our presence is required?"
"Ah? Oh, uh-" Kazumi blushes, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, Mami, Sabrina, Sayaka. If you wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all," Mami says, smiling.
"Er, if you have a moment, Niko, I'd like a word later?" you add, raising a finger.
Niko nods distractedly, looking now at Mirai. "Got it."
The three of you withdraw to the far corner of the rooftop, bunching up.
"She really has become the leader of her own team," Mami says, shaking her head with a smile. There's a touch of melancholy in her expression, mixing with simple happiness.
"Well, you've got us now! And I bet we're better than them, anyway," Sayaka says with a shrug and a grin. The grin becomes a smirk. "And you've got Sabrinaaaaa~"
"That's true, you do," you say, ignoring the way Mami blushes in favour hugging her instead. "Anyway. Look, I don't mean to fuss, Sayaka, but are you sure you're alright? You sounded pretty strained earlier."
"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka says, grinning and waving it off. "Still got a bit of a headache, but I'm a big strong magical girl now, I can handle it! Besides, my Soul Gem is clean. See?" She pokes a finger at her belly.
"That's fair," you say. "And I can't overstate this enough - superb work back there, Sayaka."
"It really was," Mami agrees with a smile. "Well done, Sayaka."
Sayaka preens. "Er, well. Thanks!"
You glance back at the huddled circle of Pleiades, still intent on their discussion. Mirai and Satomi both seem to have moved on to tearful hugging, and from your angle, Saki looks quietly contemplative. Niko looks annoyed.
And there's no movement from the privacy field, either, so that... just looks like it'll take time. Which means all that there's left to do is wait, essentially. The power of delegation, you suppose.
Speaking of delegation and waiting, that does remind you of something you can do, if just for a minute or two.
"Hitomi?" you say, probing for your friend's mind.
"Ah... Sabrina?" Hitomi responds a few moments later, sounding startled. "Can I help you with something?"
"Uh, I just wanted to check - about that apartment, for the incoming magical girls?" you say. Mami peers up at you, evidently noticing the telepathy, before snuggling into your arms. Sayaka rolls her eyes at you, turning away. "Is it ready yet?"
"Oh! Yes, I emailed you the details," Hitomi says. "Ah... it's a very basic three-bedroom apartment, just seven hundred thousand yen a month. I hope that's acceptable?"
"Should be fine!" you say. That sounds a bit pricey, but what do you know about estate pricing in Mitakihara? "The address? Sorry, I completely forgot to check the email."
"Not at all, Sabrina," Hitomi says, and tells you the address. "Just identify yourself at the desk and tell them you're from me, and they'll have the tenancy agreement ready."
"Got it. Thanks for going through all the trouble, Hitomi," you say.
"I'm glad to help!" Hitomi says cheerfully. "Will you be around for lunch?"
"Certainly going to try, but no promises!" you say. "See you... hopefully soon!"
"See you!" Hitomi echoes.
You nod to yourself, and smile at Mami. "Just checking that the housing's ready for the Shiogama girls."
"Ah, I see," Mami says, nodding. "That's a good idea."
"You two are disgustingly cute," Sayaka informs you tartly.
"I know!" you say, smirking.
You lapse into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Sayaka seeming content to watch the firemen milling about the building from a distance. All too soon, or perhaps not at all too soon, you feel Niko surge to her feet and stride over, gait sharp and annoyed.
"You wanted to talk?" Niko asks, anger bleeding into her voice.
"Uh... you OK?" Sayaka asks, glancing back.
"Yes, I'm fine," Niko says. "I... ugh, I love them all, but sometimes..." She shakes her head. "Sabrina, you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah," you say. "If you're sure, then lemme build a privacy field. Mami, I'm sorry, but..."
"I know," she says, smiling at you.
Reassured, and with Niko's nod of agreement, you draw Grief from thin air and spend a few minutes to construct another privacy sphere. Not a very big one, since it's just you and Niko, this time. Sayaka looks bemused, perching on the edge of the roof and kicking her feet idly over the edge. Mami gives you a hug, and joins her.
You step into the sphere, Niko following.
"So what is it?" Niko snaps.
"Mm... so, when I brought up the notion of Anri possibly having dangerous knowledge, Kazumi took me very seriously," you say, facing her squarely. "And I asked her about it, and she said that you've mentioned it to her before. The thing about dangerous knowledge is that I can't ask directly about it, y'know, but I think you know what I'm talking about?"
Niko's expression goes blank. "What do you think I know?"
You sigh, and wave at the hazy boundary of the sphere. "We're in total privacy here, Niko," you say. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, can eavesdrop on us in here. And... it has something to do with Kyuubey, right? You didn't seem that surprised when I mentioned it being duplicitous."
"Something to do with Grief Seeds?" Niko asks.
"The nature of Grief Seeds and Witches?" you ask.
"Witches are created from..." Niko swallows. "Witches are created from magical girls. I think Kyuubey has a hand in it, somehow."
Voting opens
[] Niko
- [] Correct her mistake, and explain in full
- [] Ask about the lichbomb
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
I think this next update will be relatively short. If the voting wraps up quickly, I'll try and update on (my) Monday.
[ ] Explain the truth of the witch system, as you understand it, in full. You made your wish, in the hopes that you could help fix it.
-[ ] Explain how Clear Seeds act like an intermediate step between Grief Seeds and Soul Gems.
-[ ] You're also hoping that a magical girl with wish magic concerning souls, Riona Mag Aoidh, who's due to arrive in Mitakihara soon, can help.
This is fantastic news. Let's get Team Dewitching fuckin rolling. I've been waiting for this moment for three years, now. Gimme.
"It is courteous to speak to magical girls whe-" Kyuubey's interrupted midway through its sentence.
By a shoe.
Niko scrapes to a halt on the roof, stomping her legwarmer-topped foot back to the flagstones. "Bastard," she says without any real rancor. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"Yeah, coming!" Sayaka says. You find her, still hovering above the building that'd been attacked, but now moving in your direction. "Just keeping an eye on the firemen."
Kirika's sprawled out messily on the floor, lying on Oriko's lap. The seer looks up from you, but doesn't let that stop her from combing her fingers through Kirika's hair. "Ah, Sabrina."
"Well, you've got us now! And I bet we're better than them, anyway," Sayaka says with a shrug and a grin. The grin becomes a smirk. "And you've got Sabrinaaaaa~"
"That's true, you do," you say, ignoring the way Mami blushes in favour hugging her instead.
"Uh, I just wanted to check - about that apartment, for the incoming magical girls?" you say. Mami peers up at you, evidently noticing the telepathy, before snuggling into your arms. Sayaka rolls her eyes at you, turning away. "Is it ready yet?"
Hey, @Firnagzen? This has probably been asked before, but any of the magical girls from Sadness Prayer be showing up? I think the timelines mean that Oriko probably hasn't killed them yet, but I think what you have with Sasa contradicts what's revealed in Saddness Prayer, so I'd understand if you didn't include it for practical reasons.
"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka says, grinning and waving it off. "Still got a bit of a headache, but I'm a big strong magical girl now, I can handle it! Besides, my Soul Gem is clean. See?" She pokes a finger at her belly.
Soon, Sayaka'll have her own quest, with Grief Seeds and Megucas.
Wait a second...
Oh, seven hundred thousand yen is roughly six thousand dollars. I don't quite remember how much money we have in cash, but I think it's enough for now. We could always ask Firn, but I don't think he's going to screw us over something as trivial as money. He is more imaginative than that.
Of course, he can screw us over both money and something else...
This is what people mean when they say "Don't give the QM ideas", isn't it?
[Q] Niko.
-[Q] Let's Science the shit out of this!
--[Q] Try telling her you are possibly a Witch, as well. See how that goes. Don't be surprised if you wake up strapped to a table with lots of tubes poking out.
well it seems like today's theme is gonna be Lean On Me. Also, probably good advice in general for megurcas.
But honestly I'm sorta proud how well the thread has gotten everyone to work together. Everybody is helping, everyone is being heroes. Heck, Sayaka is probably a better contender for MVP for the mission than Sabrina.
Back to NekoScienceFriend, I'd say let's spill the beans on our DeWitching Plan. Maybe we could insinuate that she might need all the Saints to chip in so she doesn't just start bashing her head against a wall trying to SCIENCE it by herself.
Oh, seven hundred thousand yen is roughly six thousand dollars. I don't quite remember how much money we have in cash, but I think it's enough for now. We could always ask Firn, but I don't think he's going to screw us over something as trivial as money. He is more imaginative than that.
I believe we have around the equivalent of five million USD in cash and gold at the moment.
Also, 700k ¥ a month is closer to nine thousand USD a month in 2011 exchange rates. For that much money, and located in Mitakihara, I'll be disappointed if the apartment does anything less than detach and become a spaceship.
