You roll out of bed, and yawn hugely. You stretch, feeling your joints pop, before wandering into the bathroom for your morning ablutions, rubbing your face as you go. A few minutes later, you're cleaned up, and ready to face the day ahead.
"'morning, Mami!" you call cheerfully as you walk into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Sabrina!" Mami returns brightly, though there's still a slightly drowsy edge to her voice. Behind her, you can see a gently steaming teapot.
You look at the tea, and then back at Mami, now humming happily as she whisks the batter. Then you walk over to the pot of tea, pick it up, and sniff it. Your eyes water as the fumes hit your face, and you very carefully put the pot back down on the counter top. It's not
quite industrial solvent grade, but it's
close.
"Mami," you say, packing as much minor condemnation as you can into those two syllables.
"Yes, Sabrina?" she asks, carefully not looking at you.
"You have nothing to prove, you know," you observe, looking at the teapot again.
Mami sighs. "I'm the host, Sabrina."
"So you are," you say, agreeably, as you walk over to check the rice in a curious echo of what you did yesterday. "And you're putting me up for free. The least I can do is help, Mami. Hm... Is there enough rice for two, do you think?"
"It's nothing, really!" Mami argues, as she moves behind you to grab a skillet. "But as the host, it's my obligation. And yes, there should be."
Insecurity.
"Well, I'm just helping out. It's nothing, really," you say, drily. "Is that fish?"
You have a reasonable idea of why Mami's doing this; in the end, she is lonely, and having found a friend in you, desperately wants to keep you around, even if it means having to push herself harder to make herself seem
useful. It's something that, perhaps, you should keep an eye on.
Between the two of you politely duelling for preparation of breakfast and lunch, the process is quick and painless. You're soon sitting down at the table, waffles this time. Before both you and Mami are lunchboxes; you'd decided to forgo the hassle of searching out somewhere to eat at for lunch by preparing your own.
"Ah, there should be a sling bag you can borrow," Mami comments as she sees you looking speculatively at the lunchbox. "Though... what do you plan to do today?"
"Hm. Well, I was actually planning on trying to scope out Oriko today," you answer vaguely, cutting up a waffle.
Mami puts down her fork and looks at you, distinctly troubled. "Are you sure, Sabrina? She sounds dangerous."
Oh, she definitely
is, you think to yourself. But you don't let that show on your face, and simply say, out loud, "Well, yesterday, she didn't actually do anything, right? Just kept me on the bus. But she threatened our home, and I can't let that pass."
"Be
careful, Sabrina," Mami says.
"I will, Mami," you say, ducking your head. "I'll call for help if anything comes up, OK?"
Mami still seems troubled, but lets it slide, picking up her fork to eat again.
"Anyway," you say, changing the subject. "Will Madoka and Sayaka be coming over today?"
"I'll be inviting them later," Mami agrees. "Still, they might be going to the hospital again today to visit their friend."
"Ah, of course," you say lightly. "Hm. Maybe another joint hunt with Homura, then?"
"That sounds fine," Mami says, and chuckles. "You're quite the miracle worker, you know."
"Eh... I wouldn't really say so," you demur. "Homura's not that bad a person."
"
She did try to kill me," a telepathic voice injects itself in your conversation.
"Good morning, Kyuubey!" Mami says, rising to place a waffle she'd already cut into small pieces in front of the alien. The Incubator hops up on to the table, and peeks down at the plate, before eating a piece with every sign of enjoyment.
"Hm. She said she was trying to prevent Madoka from contracting," you frown at the little alien trying to undo your work reconciling Homura and Mami. Damnit, Kyuubey.
"Even then, that's no excuse," Mami says sharply.
"Maybe Homura was just trying to scare Kyuubey away?" you suggest. "I'll see if I can get her to apologize." Fat chance, really, but you'll take whatever you can get. "And anyway, she's really not a bad person, you know."
Mami smiles warmly. "I'll trust you on that, Sabrina."
"Well, that's what I maintain," you nod firmly. "Oh, right. Kyuubey, I'd like a word later today, if possible."
"
When would be convenient?" Kyuubey asks.
You shrug. "No idea. I'll see how my morning goes. Oh, right!" you exclaim, remembering something you'd been meaning to ask. "Mami, I understand that magical girls all have some common abilities, right? Like healing?"
"Healing, enhanced physical capabilities, yes," Mami agrees, looking inquisitively at you.
"
A limited degree of midair manuveuring ability," Kyuubey adds, peering up at you. It's quite odd to see its mouth busily chewing, despite its telepathic voice coming through perfectly clearly. "
Enhanced pain resistance, and enhanced body control."
"Huh," you say thoughtfully. "So all of these generation corruption, right?" you raise your Soul Gem ring for emphasis.
"
Correct," Kyuubey observes.
"And I can clean off the corruption, thus generating a positive feedback loop," you muse out loud.
"Where are you going with this, Sabrina?" Mami asks, puzzled.
"Eh... I can generate corruption from nothing," you shrug. "Might be useful for Kyuubey?"
"
Fighting and defeating Witches would likely be a more efficient use of your time," Kyuubey replies.
Would it, though?
You shrug. "Eh. Just an idea. Uh, Mami, the time?" you comment, glancing at the clock.
Mami looks at the clock, too. "Oh, you're right. Time to prepare. Uh, let me find that bag for you, first."
Fifteen minutes later, you wave goodbye to Mami as she leaves the apartment for school, Kyuubey hanging happily over her shoulder. After she leaves, you move over to the computer, and look up Yuma -Chitose Yuma, you recall-, and Mikuni Oriko.
"
Homura?" you call telepathically.
"
Yes?" the timetraveller responds nearly instantly.
"
I'm going to try and find Oriko today," you inform her. "
Can you keep an eye on Kirika for me?"
"
Yes," Homura says. "
I will inform you when I have her in view."
"
OK, sounds like a plan," you say. "
Oriko shouldn't really have any weaponry or anything, correct?"
"
Not that I am aware of," Homura confirms.
"
Right. Let me know, then," you say. Oriko, or rather, her father, is easy to find, what with the scandal and everything. Chitose Yuma is rather harder to find, but you eventually find her address, too. You note both of them down, and prepare to leave the house.
You soon walk out of the lobby of the apartment, green slingbag diagonally over your shoulder, and are walking along the road, headed for where you took the bus yesterday. You'll start there to look for Oriko, you reason.
"
Oriko? This is Sabrina," you try, telepathically. You
know that she should be hearing your message, though whether she'll respond is another question.
Silence.
You meander along to the bus stop, and sit down to wait for the bus, which soon arrives. Just as you're about to board it, however, in hopes that perhaps Oriko will either be waiting as she was yesterday, or that you can find her at Shirome Academy, you hear someone shouting.
"Hey! Hey, wait!"
You see a girl running towards the bus stop, and obligingly wait for the girl to catch up so that the bus won't go without her. Your heart nearly stops, however, when she gets closer and you recognize her: black, slightly longer than shoulder-length hair, and yellowish-brown eyes. There's a small stuffed toy that you can't quite make out bouncing on her hip.
Kirika Kure.
"Hey- hey," the girl pants, hands on her knees, out of breath from the run. You frown at that, and your eyes instinctively flick to her hands. There is, indeed, the silver ring of a puella magi there, and a mark on her fingernail... so how can she possibly be out of breath? Unless she's acting? "Ah, sorry, Mr. Bus Driver," she calls at the bus driver. "I need to talk..."
The bus driver rolls his eyes, but closes the door and pulls out of the bus stop. You stare at the bus, disappointed, as it goes.
"Hey, so you're Sabrina, right?" Kirika chirps at you. "Oriko asked me to look for a white-haired foreigner her and tell her that, ah, 'My apologies, but I am currently busy elsewhere.' Ah... yeah. That's it."
[] Write-in
=====
Ah, Mami.
