Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Grief hair extensions.
Puella Magi Adfligo Systema
- Thread starter Firnagzen
- Start date
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- Tags
- puella magi adfligo systema puella magi madoka magica be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist bad decisions dating mami tomoe (tomoe mami) diabolical laughter friendship is the best ship handholding identity crises microwaving tea gets you put in the bad place names are important the body is the fursona of the soul this is not the baked goods thread we don't talk about rionna what could possibly go wrong? who in the world is azure sanfrancisco?
- Location
- The infinite well of fanfics
I doubt this all works as you think it does. If we got a hat for every major freind based accomplishment, we would have a bucket as well.
Or we can just steal the bucket when we get the chance.
Or we can just steal the bucket when we get the chance.
- Location
- Norway
I don't know, taking in others grief is our whole shtick so getting a darker color to symbolize that seems entirely right to me. After all, WE don't take any damage from the grief we suck up, spooky as it looks.
- Location
- USA, Midworld world line
Representing Sabrina in a D&D setting would feel best if some of her successes were represented by mechanics. Therefore, some version of influence over the characters that remain in her vicinity.
Any nearby existence with a mind rolls Con to choose their own Alignment. Otherwise, Alignment is slowly changed every time Sabrina completes an arc, until the subject's alignment becomes 50% more similar to Sabrina's.
Characters that ally with Sabrina will roll Int every time they work or fight next to her as a group. Three successive failures involuntarily initiates the other character into a sub-class, dividing all new level advancement with the new sub-class of Paladin. Due to her Divine nature, actual Knowledge of Madokami is not conferred or required, nor does the new Paladin know that they have a new sub-class.
As far as costume changes to reflect "trophies," less in more? Homura's progress would translate into character design as a complicated wristwatch, with multiple time zones....
Replacing the forum software might lead to Mami painting / redecorating her apartment?
Or do we witness Amy the cat do the visual glitch and stutter, as seen in "The Matrix"?
Any nearby existence with a mind rolls Con to choose their own Alignment. Otherwise, Alignment is slowly changed every time Sabrina completes an arc, until the subject's alignment becomes 50% more similar to Sabrina's.
Characters that ally with Sabrina will roll Int every time they work or fight next to her as a group. Three successive failures involuntarily initiates the other character into a sub-class, dividing all new level advancement with the new sub-class of Paladin. Due to her Divine nature, actual Knowledge of Madokami is not conferred or required, nor does the new Paladin know that they have a new sub-class.
As far as costume changes to reflect "trophies," less in more? Homura's progress would translate into character design as a complicated wristwatch, with multiple time zones....
Replacing the forum software might lead to Mami painting / redecorating her apartment?
Or do we witness Amy the cat do the visual glitch and stutter, as seen in "The Matrix"?
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere up the tree
Pretty sure that's what homura did at the end of rebellion
Looks fun let's do it
Nova Prospekt pt. 37
"Thank you," Homura whispers into the silence. It's almost a sob. "Thank you."
"Thank you for trusting me with this, Homura," Mami says in response. You can feel her drawing a little closer to Mami, and you tighten your hug too so that Homura is firmly trapped between the both of you.
"I never wanted to be your enemy," Homura says. "You were my teacher."
Mami's quiet for a moment.
"I suppose we would have been, in another life," Mami agrees. "I would have opposed you for trying to prevent Madoka from making a Wish. That's not the case now. Though..." Mami chuckles. "I don't think I can be your teacher any more - I'm not sure I have anything left to teach you."
You beam at Mami.
"Sorry," Homura says, ducking her head.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mami says, patting Homura's back. "That's nothing to be sorry for."
"We're here for you, Homura," you say firmly. And if you put just a bit more emphasis on the we... Well, who's going to call you out on it? "And... you know that you can come to us for anything, right? To talk about anything you want?"
"Definitely," Mami agrees with an equally firm nod. "We'll always be willing to listen. And... I understand why Sabrina insisted that this wasn't her story to tell, why she had to keep it a secret. I won't tell anyone about this, either. I won't betray your trust, Homura."
And you didn't even have to prompt Mami for that. Madokami above, you don't know what you did to deserve Mami, but she's getting something nice for this. For everything she's done today. Because that was just about the perfect thing to tell Homura, to reassure her with.
Homura shivers, closing her eyes and nodding. "Alright."
There's nothing much left to be said, after that, so you let the conversation lapse. Mami seems to be content with the silence for now, meeting your eyes over Homura's head. You give her a smile, trying to convey as much warmth, as much joy, as you can. It probably looks irrevocably, terminally sappy from the outside.
Eh, who cares about that.
Homura reached out to Mami. And Mami reached back with acceptance, and empathy, and understanding. That's worth a lot. It's worth everything.
You feel Homura take a deep breath and shift under your arms, starting to sit up. You pull back and give her room to straighten, her blank, diamond-hard facade reasserting itself as she gathers herself once more. Well. Blank but for the subdued look of gratitude.
Mami brightens into a pleased smile, similarly easing back.
"Are you feeling alright?" she asks.
"I am," Homura says. "Thank you."
"I'm glad," you say, your own smile widening equally as much as Mami's. "And, ah... Homura? Thank you for trusting us."
Homura shrugs slightly, looking uncertain. "Is there anything else?"
"Ah... Sabrina?" Mami gives you a curious look.
"Not really," you say. "I- oh, actually, not related to all this stuff, but I've got some stuff I need to do this weekend, and I don't think I've mentioned it?"
"Oh?" Mami asks.
"Yeah, I figured I should let both of you know before I forget again," you say. "One, I really should get down to Fukushima to check on Airi and... you know." You gesture vaguely in the air, trying not to think about Rionna too much. "Sort things out. Probably tomorrow morning? Which, uh, right, that's not weekend, but upcoming stuff."
Mami giggles, and shuffles around Homura so she can tuck her chin on your shoulder, still giggling fondly.
"That makes sense," Homura says. A frown touches her brow. "What about Tokyo?"
"Tokyo..." You frown thoughtfully. "Soon, but I'm not sure when. I mean, it's the next big thing that's coming up for me, I guess? But anyway - weekend. Saturday I'm thinking about going to the mall to get a bank account set up and shopping."
"You can always use mine," Mami offers.
"And I appreciate that," you say, and slip an arm around her waist. She leans into the hug, smiling. "But, er... among other things, my account is probably going to have a lot of... weird deposits and withdrawals?" You hold your other hand up and flip it to display a bar of gold pulled from hammerspace.
"Ah," Mami says. "I suppose that safety net might be a good thing, yes." She cups her chin with one hand thoughtfully, but nods after a moment. "What about Sunday?"
"Cleansing trip," you say, raising a finger. "I'll need to check ahead on that, but that's... well, I've already made agreements for some, and I want to help, you know? Also, Saturday dinner with the Shizuki family, to bring them into the secret of magical girls and all that. And-" You nod at Homura. "It might be time, I think, to start recruiting for Walpurgisnacht. Maybe some visits to Kyoto or Kyuushu?"
A niggling thought bumps at the back of your brain. You've had thoughts about taking Mami out somewhere for dinner, and this weekend might be a good time. With your newly discovered range and flight capabilities, it's not out of the question to go somewhere nice, too - Tokyo, Paris, Rome, the Moon...
... you also have somewhat more vague notions of building a treehouse in Madoka's back yard so that Homura would have somewhere to perch whilestalking Madoka standing watch at the Kaname residence, but you're not sure that's actually a good idea. The elder Kanames might disapprove.
You set that thought aside, just in time to catch Mami's firm nod.
"That's a good idea, Sabrina," Mami agrees. "This weekend would be a good time - your reputation will have had time to, ah, percolate, and it's not so close to Walpurgisnacht that prospective recruits would balk at the urgency."
"Agreed," Homura says.
"So, I'd definitely love to have you along, Mami, Homura," you ask, grinning at them. "I could definitely use your help, Mami, and you'd have a better grasp of the, uh, practical tactical situation on the day itself, Homura, buuuuuuut before I forget, all that is kind of still up in the air and subject to confirmation and what I really wanted to ask is if you're up for coming along on the Saturday shopping trip?"
"I'd be glad to, Sabrina," Mami says with a smile.
"Shopping?" Homura asks, giving you a quizzical look.
"Just to hang out!" you say. "You don't have to, but the offer's open, you know?"
"... maybe," Homura says, looking away. "Madoka still needs to be protected."
"That's fair," you say. Don't pressure her too much, don't steamroller her wants. "Though... well, we might make it a big group thing, everyone hanging out at the mall together."
Homura nods.
"I'll let you know, then," you say, clasping her shoulder and squeezing gently. "Anyway. That's the last thing I wanted to bring up, so... Mami? Homura?"
"Nothing that comes immediately to mind," Mami demurs.
"Nothing," Homura echoes, rising to her feet and brushing her skirt off. "I... I should go. I need to catch up with Madoka."
"Would you like a snack to take with you?" Mami asks, standing to match Homura.
"We just had dinner," Homura says, the ghost of a frown crossing her brow.
"Still!" Mami says cheerfully. "Ice cream? We have... Sabrina, do we still have the caramel fudge?"
"That won't be necessary," Homura says with a shake of her head. "I'm full. Thank you."
"If you're sure," Mami says.
You heave yourself to your feet. "Alright, then," you say. "See you around, Homura. Take care, OK?"
"I will," Homura says. She glances at Mami. "Thank you." She tugs gently at the ribbon on her wrist, which Mami allows to fall-
And she's gone. The noise of Mitakihara crashes back into you, colours released from the thrall of Homura's timestop. You imagine that even if you rushed to the window -now politely closed to a crack- she'd be well out of sight now. Mami smiles at you, warm and pleased and buoyed from Homura opening up.
You don't smile back.
You stalk towards her, closing the distance. Her eyes are glued to you as you close - and then you sweep her off her feet.
"You're perfect," you tell her after an interminable minute. "And don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
Are you blushing? You're pretty sure you're blushing with how hot your ears are. Mami definitely is, staring up at you with wide, wide eyes and breath coming short.
"U-um. Sorry, was that OK?" you ask.
"Y-yes!" Mami squeaks.
"OK, then," you say, relaxing and letting Mami back down on her feet. She slumps bonelessly, cuddling up against you. "Well, you are. You're beautiful and perfect."
"W-what brought this on?" Mami says, still a bit squeaky, but steady enough to nudge you towards the sofa.
"What, I can't tell you that?" you say. You oblige her insistent little nudge, crab-walking over to the sofa so that you don't have to let go of her. "You..."
You break off with a sheepish laugh that morphs into an oof when Mami practically throws herself at you.
"Well, now that I'm about to say it, it's rather..." You wave your free arm aimlessly in the air. "But it helped remind me how wonderful you are. You did the exact right thing for Homura, Mami. She needed that, that acceptance. You helped. You Made A Difference tonight and just, just- you did it out of nothing but concern for a friend."
"It was the right thing to do," Mami says, ducking her head.
"It was, and that doesn't detract from anything. But, but that's-" You suspect that your smile is bright enough to reflect off distant buildings. "In this world, you shine so brilliantly. You're, you're you. And I really, really like that. I really like you, though I kind of hope that was obvious before..."
"That's- that's good. I really like you, too," Mami murmurs, eyes huge. She trails off, and buries her head against your side, trying to burrow closer. She looks up at you and smiles at you like you're everything. "You bring joy to my life."
You catch the tail end of a thoughtful look on her face, beaten away by the simple happiness already there.
"That's funny. Because I was about to say the same thing. You make me happy." You soften your smile to something more inquisitive. "Something on your mind?"
"No, not really," Mami says, shaking her head.
"Well... I'd be happy to answer anything more if you want? Now that Homura's opened up about it..." you trail off, raising your eyebrows.
"Mm... maybe another time?" Mami asks. "I need time to digest these revelations first."
"OK," you agree readily. "I don't like keeping secrets... And it's a relief that this one's in the open, now."
"Mm." Mami nods, the curls of her hair brushing over your shirt with a soft rustle. "Actually... one question?"
"Mm?" you echo.
"There's... there's more secrets, right? And one of them is the one that... you were worried about telling me?" Mami asks, slow and careful.
"Yeah," you say. Unease prickles down your spine. "Why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to be sure," Mami says. "Morbid fascination of a sort?" She reaches up, curling her fingers gently through your hair.
"Oh," you say. You'd promised, but the thought still sits ill with you. It doesn't feel like this is the right time, and you're terrified of... breaking Mami again. "I... I did promise I'd tell you, if you wanted to know."
"I know," Mami murmurs. You twitch a little when her finger slides gently against the shell of your ear, exploring curiously. "I... maybe another time."
"Are you sure?" you ask.
"Are you?" Mami counters. She disengages a little, far enough to inspect your face. "It's... really eating you up, isn't it?"
"It's... complicated," you say after a moment. "I want to tell you. I don't like keeping secrets, least of all from you. But I'm scared."
Mami nods, solemn and serious. "And you're trying to figure out how and when to tell me?"
"Yeah," you say, biting your lip. "It's just... it's hard."
"Then alright," Mami says. She settles back against your side. "Tell me, when you figure it out."
"That simple?" You can't stop yourself from asking, poking at it like an itching scab. "What if I never figure it out?"
"It is, and you will," Mami says. "I trust you, Sabrina."
"Oh." What else can you say to that? "I... I won't let you down."
"I know," Mami says, and burrows closer against you. Absently, you find yourself toying with her hair, running your hand along glossy golden curls.
You stay like that for a while, accompanied by the steady tick, tock of the clock. Mami slowly slides down, migrating until her head is on your lap, your hand smoothing along her brow.
"I should do my homework," she mumbles at last, and rolls over to bury her face against your belly.
"That's not what doing homework looks like," you point out with a laugh.
Mami makes a sad, whining noise. "I'd have to get up."
You giggle, tugging on a hair drill. "Maaami."
"I know, I know," Mami huffs, and holds her hands out. "Pull me up!"
You do just that, and help her get set up for homework at the coffee table - and then you hesitate, humming tonelessly to yourself.
"What's on your mind?" Mami turns a smile on you, pen hovering over paper.
"I kind of want to check the IRCs again, but the computer is in the study," you say.
"Oh," Mami says. "You can borrow my laptop?"
"Ah, good idea," you say. "Thank you!"
"It's in my school bag," Mami notes, hopping to her feet and padding you over so that she can fetch you the laptop, setting it up beside her homework space before settling back in to get started. You nestle in beside her and let your fingers hover over the keyboard for a long moment, thinking.
Huh.
They were remarkably scared of you when you'd shown up earlier.
Hesitantly, you tap out another command.
"That's just their bot." You hurry to reassure her. "It makes a weird kind of sense."
"Oh," Mami says, relaxing and scanning the rest of the messages. "I suppose it does. Hmm... Out for a hunt. This would be about the right time."
"Yeah, it does, so for now..." A click, a hop, and a tab to the right. And you check your email in another tab, since you'd given that to the nyantokanyaru group. Nothing there, fortunately.
"... are you analyzing architecture?" You blink at Mami's homework. There are a few old buildings you don't recognise on the print out, and she has her textbook open.
"Mmh! Art class." Mami agrees, smiling at you. She taps a finger on one of the pictures, some old church that menaces with spikes and high arched windows, the surroundings carefully hidden so as to minimize outside clues. "Gothic or gothic revival, do you think?"
"Ggggothic revival, I think?" you venture. "If only because it looks too new to be fifteen-hundreds? But I'm not sure."
"I thought so too," Mami says, beaming and noting it down before tipping her head just a little to kiss your cheek. "There. Thank you, Sabrina."
You duck your head, blushing, and luxuriate in Mami's presence. The computer catches your attention from the corner of your eye, a new message blinking on the screen.
The rest of the night is uneventful. Mami finishes her art homework, and starts in on some revision with your help before taking your showers and simply relaxing. You leave the laptop open, checking it from time to time, but mostly, you enjoy watching the television and simply... spending time with Mami, no pressing issues on your mind.
Finally, just as you're considering turning in for an early night, a new line appears on the screen.
"Ah, the group from Kyushu," she says. "Kagoshima, I believe Homura said?"
"Yup!" you say, squinting at the screen. They haven't responde- ah, speak of the devil.
You glance around for Homura before nodding and paying proper attention to the screen.
"Isn't it?" you agree. "But I don't want to press them too hard."
"It feels like..." Mami hums quietly. "It feels like they've gotten a very different impression of the world in general than we have. An information bubble?"
"There," you say. "And hopefully they're more open tomorrow?"
Mami nods in agreement.
"I think that was the right thing to do," she says. "Don't force them - it's especially not going to work over the Internet."
"Yep," you say, and shift to deliberately sprawl belly-up over Mami's lap, legs kicking over the edge of the sofa.
Mami laughs, walking her hand through your hair. "You've had a busy day. Shall we turn in early today?"
"I think so," you say, twisting to prop yourself up on one elbow and grin at Mami. "An early night sounds wonderful."
"Mmm," Mami says, a glint of mischief in her eye. She shifts her arms under your body and stands, lifting you without effort.
Ah, magical girl strength.
You whoop and laugh, clinging to Mami as she carries you to bed, and finally, you settle down for the night, curled gently around Mami.
"Goodnight, Mami," you murmur.
"Goodnight, Sabrina," she responds, mumbling it into the hollow of your throat.
[] The usual morning routine - Breakfast, Radio Mitakihara
- [] Anything special to hit?
[] What to do after? (One hour)
[x] Drop by Fukushima as previously discussed to check on Anri
- [] Any particular points to hit?
Word count limit: 150 words
Daisuki, not aishiteru. It's only been a few weeks, after all.
Also, minor retcon, editing Fireblade's mannerisms slightly in the last IRC segment. She capitalizes and punctuates!
You'll have one hour after sending everyone off to school, more or less.
"Thank you for trusting me with this, Homura," Mami says in response. You can feel her drawing a little closer to Mami, and you tighten your hug too so that Homura is firmly trapped between the both of you.
"I never wanted to be your enemy," Homura says. "You were my teacher."
Mami's quiet for a moment.
"I suppose we would have been, in another life," Mami agrees. "I would have opposed you for trying to prevent Madoka from making a Wish. That's not the case now. Though..." Mami chuckles. "I don't think I can be your teacher any more - I'm not sure I have anything left to teach you."
You beam at Mami.
"Sorry," Homura says, ducking her head.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mami says, patting Homura's back. "That's nothing to be sorry for."
"We're here for you, Homura," you say firmly. And if you put just a bit more emphasis on the we... Well, who's going to call you out on it? "And... you know that you can come to us for anything, right? To talk about anything you want?"
"Definitely," Mami agrees with an equally firm nod. "We'll always be willing to listen. And... I understand why Sabrina insisted that this wasn't her story to tell, why she had to keep it a secret. I won't tell anyone about this, either. I won't betray your trust, Homura."
And you didn't even have to prompt Mami for that. Madokami above, you don't know what you did to deserve Mami, but she's getting something nice for this. For everything she's done today. Because that was just about the perfect thing to tell Homura, to reassure her with.
Homura shivers, closing her eyes and nodding. "Alright."
There's nothing much left to be said, after that, so you let the conversation lapse. Mami seems to be content with the silence for now, meeting your eyes over Homura's head. You give her a smile, trying to convey as much warmth, as much joy, as you can. It probably looks irrevocably, terminally sappy from the outside.
Eh, who cares about that.
Homura reached out to Mami. And Mami reached back with acceptance, and empathy, and understanding. That's worth a lot. It's worth everything.
You feel Homura take a deep breath and shift under your arms, starting to sit up. You pull back and give her room to straighten, her blank, diamond-hard facade reasserting itself as she gathers herself once more. Well. Blank but for the subdued look of gratitude.
Mami brightens into a pleased smile, similarly easing back.
"Are you feeling alright?" she asks.
"I am," Homura says. "Thank you."
"I'm glad," you say, your own smile widening equally as much as Mami's. "And, ah... Homura? Thank you for trusting us."
Homura shrugs slightly, looking uncertain. "Is there anything else?"
"Ah... Sabrina?" Mami gives you a curious look.
"Not really," you say. "I- oh, actually, not related to all this stuff, but I've got some stuff I need to do this weekend, and I don't think I've mentioned it?"
"Oh?" Mami asks.
"Yeah, I figured I should let both of you know before I forget again," you say. "One, I really should get down to Fukushima to check on Airi and... you know." You gesture vaguely in the air, trying not to think about Rionna too much. "Sort things out. Probably tomorrow morning? Which, uh, right, that's not weekend, but upcoming stuff."
Mami giggles, and shuffles around Homura so she can tuck her chin on your shoulder, still giggling fondly.
"That makes sense," Homura says. A frown touches her brow. "What about Tokyo?"
"Tokyo..." You frown thoughtfully. "Soon, but I'm not sure when. I mean, it's the next big thing that's coming up for me, I guess? But anyway - weekend. Saturday I'm thinking about going to the mall to get a bank account set up and shopping."
"You can always use mine," Mami offers.
"And I appreciate that," you say, and slip an arm around her waist. She leans into the hug, smiling. "But, er... among other things, my account is probably going to have a lot of... weird deposits and withdrawals?" You hold your other hand up and flip it to display a bar of gold pulled from hammerspace.
"Ah," Mami says. "I suppose that safety net might be a good thing, yes." She cups her chin with one hand thoughtfully, but nods after a moment. "What about Sunday?"
"Cleansing trip," you say, raising a finger. "I'll need to check ahead on that, but that's... well, I've already made agreements for some, and I want to help, you know? Also, Saturday dinner with the Shizuki family, to bring them into the secret of magical girls and all that. And-" You nod at Homura. "It might be time, I think, to start recruiting for Walpurgisnacht. Maybe some visits to Kyoto or Kyuushu?"
A niggling thought bumps at the back of your brain. You've had thoughts about taking Mami out somewhere for dinner, and this weekend might be a good time. With your newly discovered range and flight capabilities, it's not out of the question to go somewhere nice, too - Tokyo, Paris, Rome, the Moon...
... you also have somewhat more vague notions of building a treehouse in Madoka's back yard so that Homura would have somewhere to perch while
You set that thought aside, just in time to catch Mami's firm nod.
"That's a good idea, Sabrina," Mami agrees. "This weekend would be a good time - your reputation will have had time to, ah, percolate, and it's not so close to Walpurgisnacht that prospective recruits would balk at the urgency."
"Agreed," Homura says.
"So, I'd definitely love to have you along, Mami, Homura," you ask, grinning at them. "I could definitely use your help, Mami, and you'd have a better grasp of the, uh, practical tactical situation on the day itself, Homura, buuuuuuut before I forget, all that is kind of still up in the air and subject to confirmation and what I really wanted to ask is if you're up for coming along on the Saturday shopping trip?"
"I'd be glad to, Sabrina," Mami says with a smile.
"Shopping?" Homura asks, giving you a quizzical look.
"Just to hang out!" you say. "You don't have to, but the offer's open, you know?"
"... maybe," Homura says, looking away. "Madoka still needs to be protected."
"That's fair," you say. Don't pressure her too much, don't steamroller her wants. "Though... well, we might make it a big group thing, everyone hanging out at the mall together."
Homura nods.
"I'll let you know, then," you say, clasping her shoulder and squeezing gently. "Anyway. That's the last thing I wanted to bring up, so... Mami? Homura?"
"Nothing that comes immediately to mind," Mami demurs.
"Nothing," Homura echoes, rising to her feet and brushing her skirt off. "I... I should go. I need to catch up with Madoka."
"Would you like a snack to take with you?" Mami asks, standing to match Homura.
"We just had dinner," Homura says, the ghost of a frown crossing her brow.
"Still!" Mami says cheerfully. "Ice cream? We have... Sabrina, do we still have the caramel fudge?"
"That won't be necessary," Homura says with a shake of her head. "I'm full. Thank you."
"If you're sure," Mami says.
You heave yourself to your feet. "Alright, then," you say. "See you around, Homura. Take care, OK?"
"I will," Homura says. She glances at Mami. "Thank you." She tugs gently at the ribbon on her wrist, which Mami allows to fall-
And she's gone. The noise of Mitakihara crashes back into you, colours released from the thrall of Homura's timestop. You imagine that even if you rushed to the window -now politely closed to a crack- she'd be well out of sight now. Mami smiles at you, warm and pleased and buoyed from Homura opening up.
You don't smile back.
You stalk towards her, closing the distance. Her eyes are glued to you as you close - and then you sweep her off her feet.
"You're perfect," you tell her after an interminable minute. "And don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
Are you blushing? You're pretty sure you're blushing with how hot your ears are. Mami definitely is, staring up at you with wide, wide eyes and breath coming short.
"U-um. Sorry, was that OK?" you ask.
"Y-yes!" Mami squeaks.
"OK, then," you say, relaxing and letting Mami back down on her feet. She slumps bonelessly, cuddling up against you. "Well, you are. You're beautiful and perfect."
"W-what brought this on?" Mami says, still a bit squeaky, but steady enough to nudge you towards the sofa.
"What, I can't tell you that?" you say. You oblige her insistent little nudge, crab-walking over to the sofa so that you don't have to let go of her. "You..."
You break off with a sheepish laugh that morphs into an oof when Mami practically throws herself at you.
"Well, now that I'm about to say it, it's rather..." You wave your free arm aimlessly in the air. "But it helped remind me how wonderful you are. You did the exact right thing for Homura, Mami. She needed that, that acceptance. You helped. You Made A Difference tonight and just, just- you did it out of nothing but concern for a friend."
"It was the right thing to do," Mami says, ducking her head.
"It was, and that doesn't detract from anything. But, but that's-" You suspect that your smile is bright enough to reflect off distant buildings. "In this world, you shine so brilliantly. You're, you're you. And I really, really like that. I really like you, though I kind of hope that was obvious before..."
"That's- that's good. I really like you, too," Mami murmurs, eyes huge. She trails off, and buries her head against your side, trying to burrow closer. She looks up at you and smiles at you like you're everything. "You bring joy to my life."
You catch the tail end of a thoughtful look on her face, beaten away by the simple happiness already there.
"That's funny. Because I was about to say the same thing. You make me happy." You soften your smile to something more inquisitive. "Something on your mind?"
"No, not really," Mami says, shaking her head.
"Well... I'd be happy to answer anything more if you want? Now that Homura's opened up about it..." you trail off, raising your eyebrows.
"Mm... maybe another time?" Mami asks. "I need time to digest these revelations first."
"OK," you agree readily. "I don't like keeping secrets... And it's a relief that this one's in the open, now."
"Mm." Mami nods, the curls of her hair brushing over your shirt with a soft rustle. "Actually... one question?"
"Mm?" you echo.
"There's... there's more secrets, right? And one of them is the one that... you were worried about telling me?" Mami asks, slow and careful.
"Yeah," you say. Unease prickles down your spine. "Why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to be sure," Mami says. "Morbid fascination of a sort?" She reaches up, curling her fingers gently through your hair.
"Oh," you say. You'd promised, but the thought still sits ill with you. It doesn't feel like this is the right time, and you're terrified of... breaking Mami again. "I... I did promise I'd tell you, if you wanted to know."
"I know," Mami murmurs. You twitch a little when her finger slides gently against the shell of your ear, exploring curiously. "I... maybe another time."
"Are you sure?" you ask.
"Are you?" Mami counters. She disengages a little, far enough to inspect your face. "It's... really eating you up, isn't it?"
"It's... complicated," you say after a moment. "I want to tell you. I don't like keeping secrets, least of all from you. But I'm scared."
Mami nods, solemn and serious. "And you're trying to figure out how and when to tell me?"
"Yeah," you say, biting your lip. "It's just... it's hard."
"Then alright," Mami says. She settles back against your side. "Tell me, when you figure it out."
"That simple?" You can't stop yourself from asking, poking at it like an itching scab. "What if I never figure it out?"
"It is, and you will," Mami says. "I trust you, Sabrina."
"Oh." What else can you say to that? "I... I won't let you down."
"I know," Mami says, and burrows closer against you. Absently, you find yourself toying with her hair, running your hand along glossy golden curls.
You stay like that for a while, accompanied by the steady tick, tock of the clock. Mami slowly slides down, migrating until her head is on your lap, your hand smoothing along her brow.
"I should do my homework," she mumbles at last, and rolls over to bury her face against your belly.
"That's not what doing homework looks like," you point out with a laugh.
Mami makes a sad, whining noise. "I'd have to get up."
You giggle, tugging on a hair drill. "Maaami."
"I know, I know," Mami huffs, and holds her hands out. "Pull me up!"
You do just that, and help her get set up for homework at the coffee table - and then you hesitate, humming tonelessly to yourself.
"What's on your mind?" Mami turns a smile on you, pen hovering over paper.
"I kind of want to check the IRCs again, but the computer is in the study," you say.
"Oh," Mami says. "You can borrow my laptop?"
"Ah, good idea," you say. "Thank you!"
"It's in my school bag," Mami notes, hopping to her feet and padding you over so that she can fetch you the laptop, setting it up beside her homework space before settling back in to get started. You nestle in beside her and let your fingers hover over the keyboard for a long moment, thinking.
No response.
Huh.
They were remarkably scared of you when you'd shown up earlier.
Hesitantly, you tap out another command.
Kyuubey? In an IRC? It is, apparently, more likely than you'd have thoug- wait. You click to display the member list, and relax. Ah. They named their bot Kyuubey. Which, OK, you can see that making sense. Which leaves...
Oh. Well, that's a bit more reassuring. Does Hatsumi have an irc app on her phone? Seems so, by the looks of it.
There. You feel Mami shift to look over, and she stiffens a second later.
"That's just their bot." You hurry to reassure her. "It makes a weird kind of sense."
"Oh," Mami says, relaxing and scanning the rest of the messages. "I suppose it does. Hmm... Out for a hunt. This would be about the right time."
"Yeah, it does, so for now..." A click, a hop, and a tab to the right. And you check your email in another tab, since you'd given that to the nyantokanyaru group. Nothing there, fortunately.
You huff a soft laugh, leaning against Mami. She flashes you a quick smile, but doesn't comment, intent upon her homework.
You raise an eyebrow at the screen, hesitating for a moment before continuing.[20:05:54] <GriefBeGone> Well
[20:06:00] <GriefBeGone> I was gonna ask *you* guys that
[20:06:06] <GriefBeGone> You must have questions!
[20:06:08] <TomatoPotato> ego much?
[20:06:19] <GriefBeGone> I'm weird as hell, and I *know* that
[20:06:25] <GriefBeGone> Didja check with Nadia?
[20:06:30] <Fireblade> We did, actually.
[20:06:34] <Fireblade> Your story checks out.
[20:06:38] <GriefBeGone> And it's not ego if basically everyone I've met has the same reaction
[20:06:47] <TomatoPotato> chill GBG, I'm just teasing
[20:06:57] <Purrhana> Yeah everyone here knows you're weird as hell
[20:06:58] <GriefBeGone> ouch
[20:07:03] <Fireblade> Hey, *you* said it, not us.
[20:07:06] <Fireblade> So... why us?
[20:07:16] <GriefBeGone> Honestly? As much random chance as anything else.
[20:07:29] <GriefBeGone> Nadia gave me a list of IRCs and I picked a random one.
[20:07:31] <Ceridwen> you know
[20:07:39] <Ceridwen> that's actually kind of a relief?
[20:07:41] <Fireblade> Agreed.
[20:07:45] <Purrhana> so I gotta ask
[20:07:58] <Purrhana> what *are* you doing with your phenomenal cosmic power?
[20:08:09] <GriefBeGone> Enjoying not having itty bitty living space, for one
[20:08:10] <GriefBeGone>
[20:08:15] <Purrhana> oh good, she got it
[20:08:21] <GriefBeGone> But seriously? I want to help.
[20:08:34] <Whiterabbit> you're kind of on the other side of the world xP;;
[20:08:43] <GriefBeGone> have phenomenal cosmic powers, will travel
[20:08:49] <GriefBeGone> In all seriousness
[20:08:59] <GriefBeGone> like I said last time, travel isn't that big of a problem
[20:09:08] <Fireblade> What kind of help are you hoping to deliver?
[20:09:17] <Fireblade> What has Nadia told you about *us*?
[20:09:21] <GriefBeGone> Nothing much!
[20:09:48] <GriefBeGone> But she vouched for you insofar as when I asked for contacts for meguca who were trustworthy, you guys were on the list
[20:09:56] <GriefBeGone> And I know you guys are in America?
[20:10:04] <GriefBeGone> Arizona, right, that was in the notes
[20:10:08] <GriefBeGone> As for what help
[20:10:21] <TomatoPotato> mostly* in Arizona, we've got a few others
[20:10:30] <GriefBeGone> Honestly it boils down to two things
[20:10:35] <GriefBeGone> Cleansing, and safety
[20:10:40] <GriefBeGone> and money, I suppose
[20:10:48] <GriefBeGone> But that's a little trickier
[20:10:51] <GriefBeGone> So three things
[20:10:55] <Purrhana> two and a half
[20:10:59] <GriefBeGone> two and a half, sure
[20:11:06] <Purrhana> what do you mean safety?
[20:11:25] <GriefBeGone> I am *quite* opposed to meguca being oppressive conquering assholes
[20:11:27] <Fireblade> Why?
[20:11:35] <Fireblade> Beyond the obvious, I mean.
There's a long pause in replies - you get the impression they're probably talking about it directly to each other. Which... you did just give them a lot to chew over, so you can't exactly blame them. You half-twist in place so that you can rest your chin on Mami's shoulder, peering at her homework.
"... are you analyzing architecture?" You blink at Mami's homework. There are a few old buildings you don't recognise on the print out, and she has her textbook open.
"Mmh! Art class." Mami agrees, smiling at you. She taps a finger on one of the pictures, some old church that menaces with spikes and high arched windows, the surroundings carefully hidden so as to minimize outside clues. "Gothic or gothic revival, do you think?"
"Ggggothic revival, I think?" you venture. "If only because it looks too new to be fifteen-hundreds? But I'm not sure."
"I thought so too," Mami says, beaming and noting it down before tipping her head just a little to kiss your cheek. "There. Thank you, Sabrina."
You duck your head, blushing, and luxuriate in Mami's presence. The computer catches your attention from the corner of your eye, a new message blinking on the screen.
You raise your eyes at the screen, and nod.
You sign off from that group with a smile. That... went well, you think. It's hard to say, without being able to see them to gauge their reactions, but the fact that there is anything for them to discuss means, hopefully, good things. You nod to yourself, satisfied, and check the other IRC - no response there yet, not that you were expecting anything. Witch hunts take time.
The rest of the night is uneventful. Mami finishes her art homework, and starts in on some revision with your help before taking your showers and simply relaxing. You leave the laptop open, checking it from time to time, but mostly, you enjoy watching the television and simply... spending time with Mami, no pressing issues on your mind.
Finally, just as you're considering turning in for an early night, a new line appears on the screen.
Mami squirms over, practically sitting on your lap so that she can see the screen.
"Ah, the group from Kyushu," she says. "Kagoshima, I believe Homura said?"
"Yup!" you say, squinting at the screen. They haven't responde- ah, speak of the devil.
You glance around for Homura before nodding and paying proper attention to the screen.
Mami frowns, looking over your shoulder. "That's a touch concerning," she murmurs.
"Isn't it?" you agree. "But I don't want to press them too hard."
"It feels like..." Mami hums quietly. "It feels like they've gotten a very different impression of the world in general than we have. An information bubble?"
You huff a breath, signing out and sitting back.
"There," you say. "And hopefully they're more open tomorrow?"
Mami nods in agreement.
"I think that was the right thing to do," she says. "Don't force them - it's especially not going to work over the Internet."
"Yep," you say, and shift to deliberately sprawl belly-up over Mami's lap, legs kicking over the edge of the sofa.
Mami laughs, walking her hand through your hair. "You've had a busy day. Shall we turn in early today?"
"I think so," you say, twisting to prop yourself up on one elbow and grin at Mami. "An early night sounds wonderful."
"Mmm," Mami says, a glint of mischief in her eye. She shifts her arms under your body and stands, lifting you without effort.
Ah, magical girl strength.
You whoop and laugh, clinging to Mami as she carries you to bed, and finally, you settle down for the night, curled gently around Mami.
"Goodnight, Mami," you murmur.
"Goodnight, Sabrina," she responds, mumbling it into the hollow of your throat.
[] The usual morning routine - Breakfast, Radio Mitakihara
- [] Anything special to hit?
[] What to do after? (One hour)
[x] Drop by Fukushima as previously discussed to check on Anri
- [] Any particular points to hit?
Word count limit: 150 words
-[x] Check back in with #nyantokanyaru.
--[x] Their reaction to you was a bit worrying. Is there someone other than Rionna going around ganking grief controllers or do grief controllers tend to be super territorial or something?
--[x] Ask about their local politics. With a grief controller acting as a force multiplier for a Clear Seed, you might want to get one to them sooner rather than later so they can share it around.
--[x] Also, Mitakihara has infinite cleansing and can accept refugees.
--[x] Talk Walpy. You are assembling an army. Even if they don't want to fight, it'd be great to have a grief controller with a clear seed to staff the trauma ward.
--[x] Ask if they know anything about the Iowa group. You're pretty sure they'll be gunning for you and you intend to do unto them before they do unto you.
--[x] Their reaction to you was a bit worrying. Is there someone other than Rionna going around ganking grief controllers or do grief controllers tend to be super territorial or something?
--[x] Ask about their local politics. With a grief controller acting as a force multiplier for a Clear Seed, you might want to get one to them sooner rather than later so they can share it around.
--[x] Also, Mitakihara has infinite cleansing and can accept refugees.
--[x] Talk Walpy. You are assembling an army. Even if they don't want to fight, it'd be great to have a grief controller with a clear seed to staff the trauma ward.
--[x] Ask if they know anything about the Iowa group. You're pretty sure they'll be gunning for you and you intend to do unto them before they do unto you.
=====
Daisuki, not aishiteru. It's only been a few weeks, after all.
Also, minor retcon, editing Fireblade's mannerisms slightly in the last IRC segment. She capitalizes and punctuates!
You'll have one hour after sending everyone off to school, more or less.
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- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Haha, yessssss. That all went great.
Minor formatting issues in the code boxes, @Firnagzen - looks like the font tags got ignored.
Minor formatting issues in the code boxes, @Firnagzen - looks like the font tags got ignored.
blast flame
How far will we go if it means lighting the way?
- Location
- Perth, Australia
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Re: When To Witchbomb Mami
I'd say definitely after we've done Sayaka so she can support her too.
I'd also like to say after we've reconciled her with Kyouko and then witchbombed Kyouko too but who knows how long that'd take.
I'd say definitely after we've done Sayaka so she can support her too.
I'd also like to say after we've reconciled her with Kyouko and then witchbombed Kyouko too but who knows how long that'd take.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
- Location
- Singapore
I'm getting the feeling that Mami has her suspicions, and the Witchbomb is one of the worse case scenarios she has contemplated among several others. Because I'm very sure she no longer believes that the filling up of your Soul Gem with Grief leads you to lose your magic, but rather results in some far more adverse outcome - at minimum, it's enough to trigger the failure condition for Homura's wish to protect Madoka. The Witchbomb being one of the worst possibilities, but not the only one.
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
Still got one broken font tag just above this (won't let me quote the IRC box itself for some reason)
- Location
- Illinois
Shadowhisker
Asylum Escapee
- Location
- The Mines of Mercury
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Stop. I can't take any more diabeetus. So... adorable...
*dies of fluff overload*
*dies of fluff overload*
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
It's very interesting that Mami is the one commenting on this, since she's one of the clearest examples of Kyubey intentionally making information bubbles in the canon series.
It makes me more inclined to trust her judgement on the topic.
Has it really only been three weeks?
- Location
- USA, Midworld world line
Yeah, it is surprising what a hero can do in that time!
The quality of "homecoming" is overflowing, and I'd give a penny to know what sort of dream Homura will have tonight. Did we just see parts of her twitch that have been frozen for a decade? While we know the strength that is in her, seeing her get this far in three weeks with our own eyes is a moment of wonder. Average people can't "just" do it this way. Socially appropriate support and positive strokes are definitely on the plan for the morning. Growth can hurt. Intelligent positive feedback will be effective and required. We also need to get Madoka to give Homura more attention at lunch, to salve the discomfort. Always remember that the Devil is sneaking up behind, we need to win that race. We have to assemble the rest of the party, but our Journey to Save Homura from her own darkness is moving forward.
Our progress in Defend Mami From the Despair of Reality is in the home stretch. What could have highlighted the progressing connection we have with Mami more than this? It goes far beyond comfort and aligned values. She's reading our cues deeply, and has a firm grasp of our thinking. It's just shy of mind-reading, and it's not just rose colored glasses. Wow. We nearly have the support environment she needs for the Witchbomb. And her intuition knows this. Time to rent that guest mansionette across the hall, because we shall now have Kyouko totally give in to her positive side. When she does, we'll need an "independence buffer" for her comfort, and more space. One step at a time. Everything is harder as a single mom, but knowing that is half the battle. I think Yuma will just add to the experience - in fact, she makes our goal much easier.
Our to-do list ought to get parsed now?
It should be time to have our call to Hijiri shortly? It's something we need to work on. Until we know how to do it better we need to repeat the actions we know now. We also have to warn her about the Soujos. I think explaining "the fox and the scorpion" is a good strategy?
The quality of "homecoming" is overflowing, and I'd give a penny to know what sort of dream Homura will have tonight. Did we just see parts of her twitch that have been frozen for a decade? While we know the strength that is in her, seeing her get this far in three weeks with our own eyes is a moment of wonder. Average people can't "just" do it this way. Socially appropriate support and positive strokes are definitely on the plan for the morning. Growth can hurt. Intelligent positive feedback will be effective and required. We also need to get Madoka to give Homura more attention at lunch, to salve the discomfort. Always remember that the Devil is sneaking up behind, we need to win that race. We have to assemble the rest of the party, but our Journey to Save Homura from her own darkness is moving forward.
Our progress in Defend Mami From the Despair of Reality is in the home stretch. What could have highlighted the progressing connection we have with Mami more than this? It goes far beyond comfort and aligned values. She's reading our cues deeply, and has a firm grasp of our thinking. It's just shy of mind-reading, and it's not just rose colored glasses. Wow. We nearly have the support environment she needs for the Witchbomb. And her intuition knows this. Time to rent that guest mansionette across the hall, because we shall now have Kyouko totally give in to her positive side. When she does, we'll need an "independence buffer" for her comfort, and more space. One step at a time. Everything is harder as a single mom, but knowing that is half the battle. I think Yuma will just add to the experience - in fact, she makes our goal much easier.
In the future, "Empire phase" if you will, Mami will have a sideline with our Twelve Steps Alien Dependence Recovery program.
Our to-do list ought to get parsed now?
It should be time to have our call to Hijiri shortly? It's something we need to work on. Until we know how to do it better we need to repeat the actions we know now. We also have to warn her about the Soujos. I think explaining "the fox and the scorpion" is a good strategy?
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- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Battleship_Fusou
(The Itty-Bitty Pretty Battleship Kitty)
- Location
- Surigao Strait
Oh god that was a wonderfully heartwarming ending to the scene with Homura. I honestly couldn't be happier with how that turned out! As for the IRC chats it's understandable that they're so wary really, given everything we've heard about grief controllers. It seems to me like they tend to either play very low-key with their powers -almost avoiding their usage to a level like Kyoko- or they become super-aggressive in their use in order to maintain the state of their soulgems I believe.
The Phoenixian
The Glacier Witch
- Location
- My own little world
Snnnnnnrk.
We all thought EleseCanGoDie was on the outs with a friend, but in reality, she was playing Pokemon. XD
We all thought EleseCanGoDie was on the outs with a friend, but in reality, she was playing Pokemon. XD
Shadowhisker
Asylum Escapee
- Location
- The Mines of Mercury
- Pronouns
- She/Her
wait what