We should be able to make a perfect insulator with grief by basically making a shell with two layers of grief and vacuum between them.
Encasing ice cream in a perfect insulator seems to me unwise. Better a temperature controlled casing that is designed to keep whatever is in it at just the right temperature.

Speaking of, Sabrina's eventual PC gaming rig is going to be a beast with grief cooling, innit?
 
Point Insertion pt. 4
Well-

One quick check with Aurora first. You tap the Clear Seed to your Soul Gem - and indeed, it does seem to cleanse properly. The minuscule amount of Grief is drained away, sucked into Aurora.

You nod to yourself, the booming thunder of your wingbeats accompanying your thoughts. What about normal magic, then? You remember trying that with Hildegarde, before, and the magic simply slid right off, dissipating before it even penetrated far into the Seed.

Magic gathers in your free hand with a thought, and you press it to Aurora. And as before, the magic seems to skitter right off, and what little does penetrate seems to dissipate into nothingness.

Hm.

So there is a difference between happy magic and just plain old magic. It feels like something you have to specifically channel, too, and it makes a twisted kind of sense. Magic isn't hope. Hope is hope. Hope engenders magic, but hope isn't magic. Hope, and wonder, and belief.

If Aurora seems to like it that much, you... don't really see a reason not to feed it -her?- as much as you can, for now.

And here and now, you're soaring, the wind rushing through your hair and setting your coat flapping with Mitakihara laid out beneath you in a tapestry of noise and cars and people and lives. You wheel through the air, far above the tallest spires of the tallest buildings, and there's simple, breathtaking beauty in this.

You hold it, hold that pure moment, and let it flow through your veins, and you let the magic saturate the Clear Seed. Aurora soaks it up like a sponge, drinking it down greedily, and you let it, keeping a close eye on the Seed.

There's joy in this, a joy in experimenting, in doing and in learning and in working towards your goal. Your goal, your dream, your purpose.

All too soon, Oriko's mansion is visible before you, sitting on its hill. You coast in for a gentle landing, and almost as an afterthought - you replace the enchanted Grief. The jolt of Aurora taking control is an odd thing, thrumming through your body for a second, and the Seed once more cocoons itself in Grief.

"I'm here!" you call as your feet touch the lawn, wings dissipating behind you.

"Please, come in," Kirika says, sliding the door open. She's still dressed in the maid costume, back ramrod straight and nose practically pointing at the clear blue sky above. The effect is entirely ruined by her smug grin, and ruined even further by the way she plops herself down on Oriko's lap the moment you make it to the living room.

"Good morning," Oriko greets. She wraps an arm around Kirika's waist and gives you a grave, serious nod.

"Good morning!" you say, grinning. "How was breakfast?"

"It was good, thank you," Oriko says, cheeks tinting just the slightest pink.

"Mmmhm!" Kirika agrees.

"Shall we get to business?" Oriko says.

"If you want," you say. "It's not as happy a topic, I'm afraid."

"It's about our incarceration," Oriko says, nodding. "Is this to continue?"

"Yes," you say, grimacing, and hold up a finger. "With differences."

"Mmmmnm?" Kirika says, grinning brightly.

"First of all... Oriko, correct me if I'm wrong, but I... believe you don't actually like this house that much, do you?" you say.

A shadow crosses Oriko's face, her expression twisting into something between a grimace and an unhappy frown. Conflicted.

"It's where I grew up," she murmurs. "It's a luxurious place to live."

"No, she doesn't," Kirika answers, and hugs Oriko.

"Right," you murmur, leaning back. That's a relief, then. "So... it's an option, if you want it, that we can move you somewhere else. It won't be as luxurious as this place, but I can ensure that we get you somewhere nice to live. I mean, I wouldn't do anything less."

"Do we get to go outside?" Kirika asks.

You sigh, closing your eyes.

"There's the... tricky bit," you admit. "And I hope you're OK with this, but... with a caveat. The only thing I could think of that convinced Homura and Sayaka to allow you to roam was to increase surveillance on you."

Kirika scowls.

"In what way?" Oriko says, voice neutral.

"Twofold," you say, exhaling slowly. "Number one, I... have you noticed the birds?"

"Birds?" Oriko asks.

"I did!" Kirika says. "They keep coming and going today, see 'em in the garden and on the roof."

"Yeah... Sayaka has a power that lets her talk to animals," you say. "They're reporting to her."

"They better not be looking in through the windows!" Kirika snaps, bristling.

"Sayaka wouldn't do that," you say. "But I'll make sure, OK?"

Kirika nods, satisfied.

"Oriko?" you ask. "Are you OK with this?"

She sighs, expression even.

"I am... not entirely pleased with it," she says. "But it's more than fair. What was the other thing?"

"GPS trackers," you say. "Which will be enchanted, too."

"To record our movements," Oriko says. "And in return?"

"A new place to live," you say. "And the freedom to roam within reasonable limits."

"As in, actually outside the house?" Kirika asks, brightening.

"Yeah," you say. "Wouldn't be roaming otherwise, right? And... I'm sorry. I know that this... this isn't really an amazing situation to be in, but I really couldn't think of any other way to convince Sayaka and Homura to extend you a measure of freedom. I don't really want you cooped up like this."

"That's foolish," Oriko says. "We were your enemies. The mercy you've extended us is already more than generous."

"Yeah, and?" you say, and let yourself grin. "C'mon, Oriko, you know me. I believe the best of people, and I do the best for everyone."

"We could still be your enemies," Oriko points out.

"... we're not, right?" Kirika says. She pouts, cupping Oriko's cheeks to make the silver-haired girl look at her. "I don't wanna fight Sabrina again. Or her oujo. Or her spooky friend."

"Dear, you're undermining my point," Oriko says. There's a smile on her face, though. "But no. We're not."

You laugh, and roll your eyes.

"You two are disgustingly cute," you say. "And of course, this could be a rehearsed act, and you're still my enemies, right?"

"Yes, thank you, Sabrina," Oriko says. "And my amiable demeanour might be just to put you off guard."

"I mean, you are fond of mindgames and overly complex plans," you agree. "And it's not like you've poisoned my tea so far."

"Ack!" Kirika squeaks, bolting upright. "I didn't make tea for you!" She forces herself to straighten and speak precisely. "Apologies, Miss Sabrina, I shall rectify this error forthwit-"

"No," Oriko says, and tugs Kirika back down. "You do not make tea without me right there, dear."

Kirika pouts.

You can't help but relax, giggling at their antics.

"So you two are... OK with this arrangement?" you ask.

"It's more than I expected, truthfully," Oriko says. "Being constantly surveilled is unpleasant, but something I can cope with."

"Keep in mind Sayaka doesn't see through the animals, as far as I know," you say. "They just report back to her. And the GPS trackers are just trackers."

"I just wanna get outta here," Kirika says. "This place has a bad aura, you know?"

"... yeah. Kind of," you say. Oriko's father died in here, that much is certain. And everything that tore Oriko down... right here, in this house.

Oriko nods silently.

"I think I can make progress towards getting you guys proper freedom," you say. "But it's going to be a long term thing."

"Understandable," Oriko says, nodding. "I... appreciate it, Sabrina."

"I want to help," you say simply. "I think you're good people, in the end. Misguided by your visions, but still."

"We've gone over that before," Oriko says, with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

You relax fully, smiling at Oriko and Kirika.

"So I've got a question," you say. "Totally unrelated. Two questions, now that I think about it."

"Yes?" Oriko asks.

"Do you know about the two potential magical girls at Shirome?" you ask.

"No, I do not," Oriko admits, head tilting slightly. "What about them?"

"Huh," you say, rubbing your chin. "Well, I noticed two of them there and wondered if you knew anything about them. Really nothing at all?"

"Nothing," Oriko confirms, frowning. "I can only assume they do not readily become magical girls, not without your encouragement, which is unlikely."

"Hunh," you say. "Fair enough. Speaking of your visions... do they show you using a skill you don't already know, or taking an action because you... change as a person?"

"To the first, certainly," Oriko says. "It let me..."

She motions towards your leg. The one which had been mangled by Oriko's mine.

"Ah," you say, nodding. "Hm. I was wondering, since you couldn't see yourself succeeding with enchantments. But then, we run into a bootstrap paradox."

"If I had a vision of myself building a bomb, then whence did my vision-self gain the knowledge to build the bomb?" Oriko agrees, and shrugs. "I do not know. I suspect that... purely mechanistic things could be envisioned and broken down, but not, for example, playing a musical instrument."

"Makes sense, I guess," you agree. "How about the second part of my question? That you'd changed as a person?"

"How would I tell?" Oriko shrugs. "I would see my actions, and I would certainly feel my own emotions, but I wouldn't see myself."

"Even doing something completely out of character?" you ask.

"I would do many out of character things to fulfil my goals," Oriko says.

"So how about refusing to do something that would fulfil your goal but had a cost too high?" you ask.

"I..." Oriko frowns, and Kirika immediately raises a hand to Oriko's brow, trying to smooth it away. "I don't know. I did not try to envision such. Why would I have?"

"Involuntary visions?" you suggest, shrugging.

"I don't know," Oriko admits again. "By the by, we require more groceries."

"Oh," you say, nodding. "Right. I'll do something about that."

[] Groceries for Oriko
[] Afterwards...
- [] Science
-- [] As per vote in abeyance
-- [] Something different?
- [] Call...
-- [] Kyouko
-- [] Rionna
-- [] Kazumi
-- [] Someone else?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

[X] Afterwards:
-[X] See how Aurora interacts with normal enchanted items.
-[X] Repeat the tests you ran on Aurora with Hildegard and Elsa Maria to compare and contrast how they interact.
-[X] Use enchanted grief to try to make a device for analyzing and/or talking to grief seeds.

=====​

Sorry for cutting this short again - if I don't post now, I won't post until tomorrow and all that.

Shopping will take approximately an hour.

Just a note - the vote didn't mention the possibility of selling off the Mikuni residence, so I left it out. Also, to be honest, it's something of a longer term goal, anyway. Who wants to buy the place?
 
More excellence, informativeness, and adorableness. More coherent thoughts re: grief, clear seeds, conspiracies, and plans, after my exam today. But this update is definitely the goodness.
 
So there is a difference between happy magic and just plain old magic. It feels like something you have to specifically channel, too, and it makes a twisted kind of sense. Magic isn't hope. Hope is hope. Hope engenders magic, but hope isn't magic. Hope, and wonder, and belief.
Can I say I like the fact 'happy magic' is a thing? :V

"First of all... Oriko, correct me if I'm wrong, but I... believe you don't actually like this house that much, do you?" you say.

A shadow crosses Oriko's face, her expression twisting into something between a grimace and an unhappy frown. Conflicted.

"It's where I grew up," she murmurs. "It's a luxurious place to live."

"No, she doesn't," Kirika answers, and hugs Oriko.
Kirika a best.

"We could still be your enemies," Oriko points out.

"... we're not, right?" Kirika says. She pouts, cupping Oriko's cheeks to make the silver-haired girl look at her. "I don't wanna fight Sabrina again. Or her oujo. Or her spooky friend."

"Dear, you're undermining my point," Oriko says. There's a smile on her face, though. "But no. We're not."

You laugh, and roll your eyes.
I did indeed laugh. :p

"You two are disgustingly cute," you say. "And of course, this could be a rehearsed act, and you're still my enemies, right?"

"Yes, thank you, Sabrina," Oriko says. "And my amiable demeanour might be just to put you off guard."

"I mean, you are fond of mindgames and overly complex plans," you agree. "And it's not like you've poisoned my tea so far."

"Ack!" Kirika squeaks, bolting upright. "I didn't make tea for you!" She forces herself to straighten and speak precisely. "Apologies, Miss Sabrina, I shall rectify this error forthwit-"

"No," Oriko says, and tugs Kirika back down. "You do not make tea without me right there, dear."

Kirika pouts.
O&K...
"They're not so terrible they'd ruin a good cup of tea like that!"
:V

But actually, Best Buddy has made some nice tea on her own one time. With instructions, but still!

"I..." Oriko frowns, and Kirika immediately raises a hand to Oriko's brow, trying to smooth it away.
So cute.
 
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Random thought: if happy magic makes the Clear Seed react different, why not ask help others to help "feed" happy magic to the seed as part of our experiments?

Not really because we need more data points for the Clear Seed, but because others (Mami, Homura, Oriko, etc.) can really use some self-reminders of what makes them happy. I imagine the process may even help Oriko to fix her magic.
 
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Didn't you guys discuss Kirika's parents with Sayaka and Homura? Guess now would be the time to bring that up here...
 
You know, I might be a bit biased. Sure, I'm certain O&K are the cutests, like, ever, but apparently I would find Kirika threatening a dude with a knife cute, if she was doing it out of outrage at bad comments/looks directed towards Mami&Sabrina.

(Though in my mind, it was a plastic knife. Kirika just makes it work.)

Also can I point out the call list keeps growing. :V

Is it time to share the secrets of GOOD MORNING MITAKIHARA with Kazumi!?

I am trying to imagine Kyokos face at the request and it is very hard to make out with her clutching her midsection and laughing.
But she stops and :| when she notices Yuma already hugging the Seed.
 
"... we're not, right?" Kirika says. She pouts, cupping Oriko's cheeks to make the silver-haired girl look at her. "I don't wanna fight Sabrina again. Or her oujo. Or her spooky friend."

"Dear, you're undermining my point," Oriko says. There's a smile on her face, though. "But no. We're not."

Oh my god stop being so adorable.

Both of you.
 
Just a note - the vote didn't mention the possibility of selling off the Mikuni residence, so I left it out. Also, to be honest, it's something of a longer term goal, anyway. Who wants to buy the place?

Why sell it? I imagine we could find a use for a mansion ourselves in time and I'm sure Oriko would be happy to agree...
 
*FLASH!*

"HALT EVILDOERS! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WEIRDO FRIEND!"

*STAB-

*FREEZE*


"Oh my god, Sayaka..."

*Sabrina, Oriko and Kirika separate*

"Do you know how hard it was to convince Oriko to participate in hugs?"

*Frees Sayaka from Grief fog*

"What. Hugs? But the birds said-"

"Birds are evil and have no concept of hugs."

"True, true."

"But why would you hug them, they're... you're... you're just you, aren't you?"

"Yep. I'm a firm believer in that befriending your enemies is superior to just beating them."

"I can't complain."

"So these girls burn down my house and you hug them."

"There were explosions and limb loss involved at the time."

"Weirdo."

*Victory sign*

"... Oh shit."

"Did you teleport straight from the classroom when the birbs told you... what did they tell you?"

"That the two aberrant ones had their claws wrapped around your throat, and yes."

"And you just instantly jumped at my defense, not even thinking to leave a clone behind? I'm touched."

"Awww..."

:/

"Well, you better hurry back, who knows what story the rat will make up to cover your disappearance?"

"He may make everyone believe she became sick and had to rush to the infirmary, which would require her to skip classes and make up for it later."

"Or that she really needed to use the bathroom."

"Or that she spent the last few minutes wailing and crying about heartache."

*GASP!*

"You two... are a bad influence on Sabrina."

*FLASH!*


"... Where were we-"

*FLASH!*

"And you, Sabrina, are a bad influence on them."

*FLASH!*

"... Rude."

"But not untrue."

"... Now you owe me hugs."

And then there were hugs.
 
We should try to see how many different emotions produce magic that Aurora accepts. A well-balanced person probably isn't just made of hope.
 
*FLASH!*

"HALT EVILDOERS! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WEIRDO FRIEND!"

*STAB-

*FREEZE*


"Oh my god, Sayaka..."

*Sabrina, Oriko and Kirika separate*

"Do you know how hard it was to convince Oriko to participate in hugs?"

*Frees Sayaka from Grief fog*

"What. Hugs? But the birds said-"

"Birds are evil and have no concept of hugs."

"True, true."

"But why would you hug them, they're... you're... you're just you, aren't you?"

"Yep. I'm a firm believer in that befriending your enemies is superior to just beating them."

"I can't complain."

"So these girls burn down my house and you hug them."

"There were explosions and limb loss involved at the time."

"Weirdo."

*Victory sign*

"... Oh shit."

"Did you teleport straight from the classroom when the birbs told you... what did they tell you?"

"That the two aberrant ones had their claws wrapped around your throat, and yes."

"And you just instantly jumped at my defense, not even thinking to leave a clone behind? I'm touched."

"Awww..."

:/

"Well, you better hurry back, who knows what story the rat will make up to cover your disappearance?"

"He may make everyone believe she became sick and had to rush to the infirmary, which would require her to skip classes and make up for it later."

"Or that she really needed to use the bathroom."

"Or that she spent the last few minutes wailing and crying about heartache."

*GASP!*

"You two... are a bad influence on Sabrina."

*FLASH!*


"... Where were we-"

*FLASH!*

"And you, Sabrina, are a bad influence on them."

*FLASH!*

"... Rude."

"But not untrue."

"... Now you owe me hugs."

And then there were hugs.
well... this all seems in order, carry on.
 
We should consider bringing Oriko in on the Aurora project.

She has a clear seed (right?) and should be able to do... Whatever we're doing.

[X] Poke Mami via telepathy. Say hi, ask how everything is going. If she's busy she shouldn't worry about you, you just wanted to check in.
[] More stuff
 
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You know they say there is no flash without thunder.

So, finally the truth is revealed, about the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High Mitakihara Middle.
 
What concerns me is how much "happy magic" it takes for something to change. We should be dumping happy magic into Aurora constantly until we hit whatever threshold exists. The sooner we figure out what happens and how long it takes, the better.

And, well, what we're supposed to do if it turns out that using Clear Seeds is in humane. We can make Clear Seeds far faster than we can enchant just about anything.
 
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I'd like to check in with Niko at some point. Our dewitching program is under OpSec, but Niko's study of the Clear Seed isn't, and the 'ordinary magical charges are rejected but happy magic charges are devoured' discovery is highly relevant to both of those.
 
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