That's not an upgrade, that's budget seppuku!
Puella Magi Adfligo Systema
- Thread starter Firnagzen
- Start date
-
- 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?
SRLYWHYTHO
Tzeentchian Pragmatist, Deutaragonist of my Story
- Location
- A very cold place.
I'm gonna ignore the cute (absolutely diabeetus causing work, my good sir) to point something out.
I was reading some of the older episodes. Point Insertion Pt. 11
...
One side of my head is laughing, the other is extremely worried, and there's a little piece that is saying something along the lines of: SABRINA!
cannot pet best katto, must rate koko. murder will happen if she knows.
Angrygenius
Professional Insomniac
- Location
- Florida
- Pronouns
- Him/He
I'm not gonna lie. When I wrote what I wrote I did it in complete ignorance of that particular line and I am trying my very hardest not to laugh right now.
I'll be honest, I wasn't planning to do anything with the prospect of a Sabrina/Sayaka baby, but now the idea is in my head and I don't know what to do with it.
SRLYWHYTHO
Tzeentchian Pragmatist, Deutaragonist of my Story
- Location
- A very cold place.
I have a gigantic, shit eating grin plastered on my face, because I'm not sure if I should be smug about finding this, or just laugh.
Oh what the hell, I'm gonna pull off my best Oujo impression (is there a male equivalent? I dunno), and laugh smugly.
As for what to do with the idea... I dunno, part 3 little snippets, maybe?
Angrygenius
Professional Insomniac
- Location
- Florida
- Pronouns
- Him/He
Dunno. The baby was gonna be Sayaka and Kyouko's due to a training accident, but maybe a bit of Sabrina can be added in?
I won't know for sure until I actually get to sit down and write it out.
Side note, I'd imagine Sayaka and Kyouko trying to raise a baby together would be like two racoons trying to drive a semi through an Arby's drive-thru
SRLYWHYTHO
Tzeentchian Pragmatist, Deutaragonist of my Story
- Location
- A very cold place.
"Okay, you know what? Sure, magic babies, why not. Heck, it's not the wierdest thing about this!"
"Then, what is it?"
"IT'S THE FACT THAT SHE LOOKS LIKE YOU! HIGH CHEEK BONES, AND SOME WHITE LOCKS HERE AND THERE, I MEAN WHAT THE EVER LOVING FU-"
*Glare*
"-UUUUUuudge..."
"..."
"...Sabrina? What's wron-"
"I am an inconsiderate idiot, I am so sorry, Mami, I didn't intend for this to happen-"
Also, I can see that image perfecly, to be honest. Again, Yuma would have to pull heavy duty, not only as the most logical of the two, but as the Responsible Aunt.
Last edited:
JIMI94
Birdman with a cauldron on it's head
- Location
- The Garden of Earthly Delights
I think Firn often updates monday mornings, right? I know that isn't a guarantee, and really I prefer they do it when its ready, but I did want to mention that it can be a highlight to a otherwise stressful day. So thank you @Firnagzen .
- Location
- Earth
Yuma: I'm too
Lowlife pt. 23
Mami wraps her arm around your waist, insistently butting her head under your chin and curling close. You exhale slowly, listening to the sounds of the wind curling past and the distant cacophony of the city as you wrap your arm around her.
"I'm OK," you mutter, and then, louder, "I'm OK. Just... ugh. Why are people like this?"
"People're people, princess," Kyouko grunts. You hear plastic crinkling as she unwraps something. "And people really suck."
Your nose is assaulted by the smell of peppermint, and you open your eyes to find Kyouko waving a packet of mints at you. You sigh, nod your thanks at her, and collect a few to share with Mami.
"Alright. Forget about them, they're Miss Tsuruya's responsibility for the moment," you say, poking the sweet into your cheek so you can speak clearly. You shake your head, returning to what's important, and you return to their sides. Mami separates from you to kneel beside one of them, gently taking her wrist to check her pulse. Gently, you prop them all up into inclined sitting positions with Grief.
"I spoke to the Iowa girls." You speak in Burmese, the rapid, tonal syllables rolling easily off your tongue as you look around, meeting the trio of local's eyes in turn. "I... well, they weren't cooperative, but we're going to get to the bottom of this. You're going to be ok."
"Thank you," one of them whispers to you. "Thank you. We... we thought we were dead."
"You're not," you say firmly. "And... I'm sorry. I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Sabrina Vee, this is Mami Tomoe..." You go around the circle of your friends, indicating and introducing everyone in turn. Kyouko, Yuma, Mika, Kazumi, and Kaoru, the latter frowning at the Burmese girls with a preoccupied look.
"We're from Japan, but we're here to help," you finish. "May I know your names?"
"I'm Ta Kaung Chien," the girl in the middle says. She's a lean looking girl, whipcord strength and long blue hair that reaches to her midback - the oldest of the group, you think, the darker skin of her face perhaps a bit more weathered than her probable sisters'.
"I'm Pa Kaung Min," the girl on her left says. The youngest of the trio, slender like the others, but with perhaps more muscle and a more generous figure.
"And I'm Cho Kaung Sa," the last girl adds. Somewhere in between, you suspect, perhaps about your age, with her hair in the messy remains of a pair of braids.
"Alright... well, it's good to meet you, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances," you say with a slight wince. "We'll get you out of this. I... are there any friends or relatives you need us to look in on?"
You get silence in response, and that is its own answer. You can feel your stomach sinking, met with more anger.
"I... I'm sorry for your loss," you say. Mami touches your elbow gently, warm concern on her face as you look over. You force yourself to relax, and focus on the here and now.
The burmese girls are holding up, and you're going to help them. That's what's important. Keeping their Soul Gems clean is trivial, and so you focus on that as you rack your brain trying to figure it out. The red one... their healer must have done something, but you're not sure what. Yuma's healing didn't get it, so what does that leave?
"Mami, you're sure it's not a magical effect?" Kazumi asks.
"It isn't a persistent magical effect, no," Mami says with a shake of her head. "And there... doesn't seem to be anything obviously wrong with them."
"Should've kept Umi up here," Kazumi grumbles. "I bet she'd figure this out in a second."
"Ah... I think I have an idea, actually?" Kaoru ventures, stepping forward and joining you in kneeling beside Ta Kaung Chien. "Um, may I use my magic on them?"
You translate for her, and get slightly nervous agreement from the trio. Kaoru nods, offering up a smile, and rests her hand gently on the girl's forehead, frowning as she gathers her magic.
"Yuma," Kaoru murmurs as she works. "How does your magic work?"
"My magic heals people!" Yuma says. "Uhm... Yuma just thinks, and the magic works by itself?"
"Right..." Kaoru says. "OK, thank you."
Kazumi joins Kaoru, bending their heads together in quiet, murmured conversation.
"We're ready for you to release the anchor, Miss Vee," Yuki murmurs into your mind.
"Gotcha," you say, frowning slightly in thought. You lean over the edge of your flight platform, peering at the city below, and more specifically, at Yuki's claimed office complex. You shift mental gears to address all of your friends. "Everyone, I'm releasing the interdiction so the Iowa captain can dismiss the ship. Miss Tsuruya has them secured, but let's all keep an eye out."
You sweep your eyes about the platform, looking to each of your friends. Mika grins and takes to the skies again, the winds roaring to life around her and snatching at her robes as she soars towards the disassembled bulk of the Iowa.
"On zero. Three, two, one- zero."
You unravel the Grief construct with a thought, tense and alert. And yet, a moment later, you watch as the Iowa starts to wink out of existence, part after part, plate by plate and bolt by bolt from keel to antennas. You can't help but worry a little, that they might attempt an attack from within whatever holding measures Yuki applied... but then, you trust her competence.
"She says it's done," Yuki says to you. "Can you confirm?"
"I confirm," you say, sweeping nanofog through the volume previously occupied by the Iowa. "It's gone."
"Hm. Good, then," Yuki says. "I suppose they must, with their Soul Gems in our possession."
"Right. We're working on it, but if you can find out how they paralyzed the local girls, it could be helpful?" you say. "And Sayaka, it was Red - grab a copy of her powers as soon as possible and maybe tag Umika to see if you can figure anything out?"
"I was planning on it, yes," Yuki responds. "I'll update you when I've made progress."
"Gotcha," Sayaka says.
You debate asking her to tell them that you didn't capture them just to execute them, that she should keep them separate from each other and unable to coordinate a story, to drill for information, but-
The heck with it.
Yuki probably knows what she's doing better than you do, and she can do it without your micromanaging. You've got other things to handle.
"Madoka, Hitomi?" you call, watching as Mika lands back on your platform. She looks to Kyouko, inquisitive look on her face, but Kyouko just shakes her head slightly and glances over to you.
"Oi, Sabrina," Kyouko drawls. "We need to have a talk."
A talk... ah, yes. Nakano Mika, of Nakano Corporation. About the Sakura church, you suppose - you can't think of anything else, in any case.
"Yuma too?" you ask.
"Y' need her here, dontcha?" Kyouko says, ruffling Yuma's hair.
"Sabrina!" Madoka says, anxious and concerned. "Is everyone OK?"
"We're all OK!" you respond, trying to infuse reassurance and calm into your voice. "Nobody was hurt - well, none of us, anyway. The fighting and the dangerous parts are over, we're just making sure the locals are OK and finishing up before coming back. How are you? And Nagisa?"
You nod at Kyouko, acknowledging the implicit request for an excuse. "Yeah, most likely," you say. "We need her healing. Alright, off you go, then..."
With a thought, you bubble off a small platform for Kyouko and Mika, sending it drifting off for their conversation.
"We're OK too," Madoka says. "Ah... Nagisa's a little disappointed that you had to leave, but she's still enjoying herself. Did you know that there's a cheese store at Shimachi?"
"... oh, no," you say solemnly.
Madoka giggles in response.
"Will you be back soon?" Hitomi asks. "Shall I cancel the message?"
You bite your lip thoughtfully. "I... how much longer do we have?"
A pause, presumably as Hitomi checks your phone.
"Ten minutes before it auto-sends," Hitomi says.
"Iiiii will update you as soon as possible," you say. "I mean, now that we've finished up the fight, we should have a... relatively finite time to get back."
"I'll keep an eye on the clock then," Hitomi says. "Good luck?"
"Yeah, thanks," you say, slightly distracted as a thought occurs to you. If Kaoru's idea doesn't pan out, you may have a solution to help the local girls here. You sit down yourself, crossing your legs, and then blink as you realise you don't have anything to work with.
"What is it, Sabrina?" Mami asks, smiling at you as she joins you.
"Enchanting," you say. "Um... do you have something I could enchant?"
"Mmm..." Mami says, humming. A twist of her hand disgorges a teacup into her hand from thin air - empty, this time. "Will this do?"
"Yes, but you probably won't get it back?" you say.
"That's fine," Mami says, chuckling quietly. "We have more back home, anyway, and I never did get around to refilling this."
She holds it out, dangling it by the handle from her finger... along with the Clear Seed you'd given her, held in the palm of her hand. When you blink at it, she gives you a sunny, warm smile, just a hint of a worried edge. You smile, closing your hand over hers.
"You're silly," you murmur.
"For you, Sabrina?" she murmurs back. "I am."
"We shouldn't keep them waiting," you say, smiling and taking both. "But... believe me, Mami. That's not something you have to worry about."
"Even so," Mami says.
And there's nothing you can say to that. So instead, you pocket the Clear Seed, and turn your attention to the teacup, splitting it along its rim to form several large rings. You take a moment to polish the rings, and pass one back to Mami before you settle back in to enchanting.
And even as you focus on channeling your magic, you have enough time for another telepathic conversation.
"Nadia? Do you have a moment?" you call in darija.
"Sabrina?" Nadia's voice immediately brightens. "What news do you have for me on this fine day?"
"Well... we took down Iowa," you say. "They were scrying us, so we, uh, paid them a visit."
Silence.
"Nadia?" you ask.
"Apologies, Sabrina," Nadia says, mental voice bubbling with laughter. "I had to, ah, calm myself."
"... I guess," you say. "So, uh, yeah. We're probably going to imprison them, but I wanted to check with you - how many of them are they, as of your latest info on them?"
"Nine of them, I'd heard," Nadia says. "As of three months ago."
"... huh," you say. "We fought ten."
"I suppose they've recruited since then," Nadia says with an audible shrug.
"Yeah, that's true," you agree, frowning thoughtfully. You do rather wonder whether all of those girls are there willingly, but that's something that you've left to Yuki to find out, you suppose. "Alright. If you're after any details, we can talk later, if not, uh... do you know anything about the team in Mandalay?"
"Nothing recent," Nadia says. "You've moved ahead of me, I haven't been there in a year. The last I heard, the team there fell apart about seven months ago."
"Ah, right," you say. "I... don't think that's the same team here now, but thanks."
"I'll come through there soon enough," Nadia says, sounding deeply amused. "But you'll know more than I do until then."
"Gotcha, gotcha," you say. "Alright, thanks. Uh... anything else?"
"No, thank you for the update," Nadia says, and ends the call.
A relatively new team, and all sisters, at that. And then Iowa dropped in on their heads. You can't help but suspect that Kyuubey's had a hand in their shenanigans, and you can't help but feel like this sort of casual cruelty is right up its alley.
It turns out that the Iowa group did have a clairvoyant, but a seemingly limited one. Mitakihara's a long way to travel for their next target, and yet, this entire mess was precipitated by their actions. True, word of you might have already made it to their ears, but you might also guess at expedited news.
Hah. You're building alliances in response, so joke's on it.
"I think I've figured it out," Kaoru mutters. "Yuma, I might need you to help me fix this."
"Good work, Kaoru!" Kazumi cheers, rocking back on her heels with a bright grin.
Kaoru glances up at you, normally-cheery face solemn and twisted in concentration.
"Their nerves are all messed up," Kaoru says. "She's... made it so that they think they're in a natural state, but they're not. Like, you know how nerve damage doesn't heal naturally most of the time? Like that, sort of, but..." Kaoru flutters her free hand. "I think that's why Yuma's magic didn't get it, at first."
She grimaces, the orange glow of her magic flickering around her fingers. "I can't heal as quick as a full healer can, so I think I can undo what she did, but Yuma, you're going to have to follow up quickly to heal them properly, OK?"
"You're sure?" you say.
"Reasonably sure, yeah," Kaoru says.
"I'll check with them, then," you say, and shuffle over to the girls, looking each of them in the eye as you translate Kaoru's words.
"Try it on me," Ta Kaung Chien says immediately.
"No!" Pa Kaung Min says. "You can't do that, we already-"
"Try it on me," Ta Kaung Chien demands. The eldest of the sisters.
You bite your lip, looking to Kaoru. "You're... sure about it?"
"As sure as I can be," Kaoru says, nodding firmly.
"Right," you say, shifting to burmese and gently cutting across the argument. "Everyone, please, uh- Kaoru knows what she's doing. Plus we have Yuma here, who's a dedicated healer, and we can bring in another healer if we need."
They're quiet for a moment before Ta Kaung Chien speaks again, insistent.
"Let me go first," she whispers. "Please. Let me do this."
You nod slowly.
"Kaoru?" you murmur. "This is Ta Kaung Chien. She's volunteered to try this first."
"... oh, really," Kaoru grumps. "This isn't some super-experimental technique- I mean it is, but I'm sure." She walks around, taking the girl's hand. "Yuma, are you ready?"
"Yuma's ready!" Yuma says.
"Then here we go," Kaoru says, gathering her magic.
A flare of orange light, then green, and...
Ta Kaung Chien bolts upright, slapping at her arms and whimpering as she curls on her side.
"That hurts-" Her eyes widen. "O-oh! I-" She uncurls slightly, staring at her hands, then at her sisters, then Kaoru. "I'm OK, I'm- T-thank you. Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Kaoru says, guessing correctly even through the language barrier. "Yuma, ready for the others?"
"Yeah!" Yuma says.
You can only watch, smiling, as Kaoru and Yuma repeat the process for the other two, both of them working together easily. And you watch as three bodies go from lying as still as corpses to a crying, hugging pile of intermingled relief and sorrow.
"Let's give them a moment," you suggest quietly, nudging your friends back. "And probably get out of the sky, too."
"Yeah," Kazumi murmurs, tugging Kaoru back. "Good work, Kaoru."
"And you too, Yuma," you say, giving her a smile as you retreat to the far end of the Grief platform. Slowly, you start lowering the disc, descending towards Yuki's claimed building below.
"Sabrina?" Hitomi murmurs. "You've got just over a minute to decide. Cancel, yes or no?"
[] Cancel the message, commit to heading back as soon as possible
[] Leave it be - regrettably, this might take some time
[x] Vote in abeyance
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
I decided to drop Nadia's 'fimti' thing, since you were speaking in darija. Consider it translation convention.
Incidentally, I think I got the locals' names right, but if anyone has a correction to offer, I'll happily take it.
"I'm OK," you mutter, and then, louder, "I'm OK. Just... ugh. Why are people like this?"
"People're people, princess," Kyouko grunts. You hear plastic crinkling as she unwraps something. "And people really suck."
Your nose is assaulted by the smell of peppermint, and you open your eyes to find Kyouko waving a packet of mints at you. You sigh, nod your thanks at her, and collect a few to share with Mami.
"Alright. Forget about them, they're Miss Tsuruya's responsibility for the moment," you say, poking the sweet into your cheek so you can speak clearly. You shake your head, returning to what's important, and you return to their sides. Mami separates from you to kneel beside one of them, gently taking her wrist to check her pulse. Gently, you prop them all up into inclined sitting positions with Grief.
"I spoke to the Iowa girls." You speak in Burmese, the rapid, tonal syllables rolling easily off your tongue as you look around, meeting the trio of local's eyes in turn. "I... well, they weren't cooperative, but we're going to get to the bottom of this. You're going to be ok."
"Thank you," one of them whispers to you. "Thank you. We... we thought we were dead."
"You're not," you say firmly. "And... I'm sorry. I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Sabrina Vee, this is Mami Tomoe..." You go around the circle of your friends, indicating and introducing everyone in turn. Kyouko, Yuma, Mika, Kazumi, and Kaoru, the latter frowning at the Burmese girls with a preoccupied look.
"We're from Japan, but we're here to help," you finish. "May I know your names?"
"I'm Ta Kaung Chien," the girl in the middle says. She's a lean looking girl, whipcord strength and long blue hair that reaches to her midback - the oldest of the group, you think, the darker skin of her face perhaps a bit more weathered than her probable sisters'.
"I'm Pa Kaung Min," the girl on her left says. The youngest of the trio, slender like the others, but with perhaps more muscle and a more generous figure.
"And I'm Cho Kaung Sa," the last girl adds. Somewhere in between, you suspect, perhaps about your age, with her hair in the messy remains of a pair of braids.
"Alright... well, it's good to meet you, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances," you say with a slight wince. "We'll get you out of this. I... are there any friends or relatives you need us to look in on?"
You get silence in response, and that is its own answer. You can feel your stomach sinking, met with more anger.
"I... I'm sorry for your loss," you say. Mami touches your elbow gently, warm concern on her face as you look over. You force yourself to relax, and focus on the here and now.
The burmese girls are holding up, and you're going to help them. That's what's important. Keeping their Soul Gems clean is trivial, and so you focus on that as you rack your brain trying to figure it out. The red one... their healer must have done something, but you're not sure what. Yuma's healing didn't get it, so what does that leave?
"Mami, you're sure it's not a magical effect?" Kazumi asks.
"It isn't a persistent magical effect, no," Mami says with a shake of her head. "And there... doesn't seem to be anything obviously wrong with them."
"Should've kept Umi up here," Kazumi grumbles. "I bet she'd figure this out in a second."
"Ah... I think I have an idea, actually?" Kaoru ventures, stepping forward and joining you in kneeling beside Ta Kaung Chien. "Um, may I use my magic on them?"
You translate for her, and get slightly nervous agreement from the trio. Kaoru nods, offering up a smile, and rests her hand gently on the girl's forehead, frowning as she gathers her magic.
"Yuma," Kaoru murmurs as she works. "How does your magic work?"
"My magic heals people!" Yuma says. "Uhm... Yuma just thinks, and the magic works by itself?"
"Right..." Kaoru says. "OK, thank you."
Kazumi joins Kaoru, bending their heads together in quiet, murmured conversation.
"We're ready for you to release the anchor, Miss Vee," Yuki murmurs into your mind.
"Gotcha," you say, frowning slightly in thought. You lean over the edge of your flight platform, peering at the city below, and more specifically, at Yuki's claimed office complex. You shift mental gears to address all of your friends. "Everyone, I'm releasing the interdiction so the Iowa captain can dismiss the ship. Miss Tsuruya has them secured, but let's all keep an eye out."
You sweep your eyes about the platform, looking to each of your friends. Mika grins and takes to the skies again, the winds roaring to life around her and snatching at her robes as she soars towards the disassembled bulk of the Iowa.
"On zero. Three, two, one- zero."
You unravel the Grief construct with a thought, tense and alert. And yet, a moment later, you watch as the Iowa starts to wink out of existence, part after part, plate by plate and bolt by bolt from keel to antennas. You can't help but worry a little, that they might attempt an attack from within whatever holding measures Yuki applied... but then, you trust her competence.
"She says it's done," Yuki says to you. "Can you confirm?"
"I confirm," you say, sweeping nanofog through the volume previously occupied by the Iowa. "It's gone."
"Hm. Good, then," Yuki says. "I suppose they must, with their Soul Gems in our possession."
"Right. We're working on it, but if you can find out how they paralyzed the local girls, it could be helpful?" you say. "And Sayaka, it was Red - grab a copy of her powers as soon as possible and maybe tag Umika to see if you can figure anything out?"
"I was planning on it, yes," Yuki responds. "I'll update you when I've made progress."
"Gotcha," Sayaka says.
You debate asking her to tell them that you didn't capture them just to execute them, that she should keep them separate from each other and unable to coordinate a story, to drill for information, but-
The heck with it.
Yuki probably knows what she's doing better than you do, and she can do it without your micromanaging. You've got other things to handle.
"Madoka, Hitomi?" you call, watching as Mika lands back on your platform. She looks to Kyouko, inquisitive look on her face, but Kyouko just shakes her head slightly and glances over to you.
"Oi, Sabrina," Kyouko drawls. "We need to have a talk."
A talk... ah, yes. Nakano Mika, of Nakano Corporation. About the Sakura church, you suppose - you can't think of anything else, in any case.
"Yuma too?" you ask.
"Y' need her here, dontcha?" Kyouko says, ruffling Yuma's hair.
"Sabrina!" Madoka says, anxious and concerned. "Is everyone OK?"
"We're all OK!" you respond, trying to infuse reassurance and calm into your voice. "Nobody was hurt - well, none of us, anyway. The fighting and the dangerous parts are over, we're just making sure the locals are OK and finishing up before coming back. How are you? And Nagisa?"
You nod at Kyouko, acknowledging the implicit request for an excuse. "Yeah, most likely," you say. "We need her healing. Alright, off you go, then..."
With a thought, you bubble off a small platform for Kyouko and Mika, sending it drifting off for their conversation.
"We're OK too," Madoka says. "Ah... Nagisa's a little disappointed that you had to leave, but she's still enjoying herself. Did you know that there's a cheese store at Shimachi?"
"... oh, no," you say solemnly.
Madoka giggles in response.
"Will you be back soon?" Hitomi asks. "Shall I cancel the message?"
You bite your lip thoughtfully. "I... how much longer do we have?"
A pause, presumably as Hitomi checks your phone.
"Ten minutes before it auto-sends," Hitomi says.
"Iiiii will update you as soon as possible," you say. "I mean, now that we've finished up the fight, we should have a... relatively finite time to get back."
"I'll keep an eye on the clock then," Hitomi says. "Good luck?"
"Yeah, thanks," you say, slightly distracted as a thought occurs to you. If Kaoru's idea doesn't pan out, you may have a solution to help the local girls here. You sit down yourself, crossing your legs, and then blink as you realise you don't have anything to work with.
"What is it, Sabrina?" Mami asks, smiling at you as she joins you.
"Enchanting," you say. "Um... do you have something I could enchant?"
"Mmm..." Mami says, humming. A twist of her hand disgorges a teacup into her hand from thin air - empty, this time. "Will this do?"
"Yes, but you probably won't get it back?" you say.
"That's fine," Mami says, chuckling quietly. "We have more back home, anyway, and I never did get around to refilling this."
She holds it out, dangling it by the handle from her finger... along with the Clear Seed you'd given her, held in the palm of her hand. When you blink at it, she gives you a sunny, warm smile, just a hint of a worried edge. You smile, closing your hand over hers.
"You're silly," you murmur.
"For you, Sabrina?" she murmurs back. "I am."
"We shouldn't keep them waiting," you say, smiling and taking both. "But... believe me, Mami. That's not something you have to worry about."
"Even so," Mami says.
And there's nothing you can say to that. So instead, you pocket the Clear Seed, and turn your attention to the teacup, splitting it along its rim to form several large rings. You take a moment to polish the rings, and pass one back to Mami before you settle back in to enchanting.
And even as you focus on channeling your magic, you have enough time for another telepathic conversation.
"Nadia? Do you have a moment?" you call in darija.
"Sabrina?" Nadia's voice immediately brightens. "What news do you have for me on this fine day?"
"Well... we took down Iowa," you say. "They were scrying us, so we, uh, paid them a visit."
Silence.
"Nadia?" you ask.
"Apologies, Sabrina," Nadia says, mental voice bubbling with laughter. "I had to, ah, calm myself."
"... I guess," you say. "So, uh, yeah. We're probably going to imprison them, but I wanted to check with you - how many of them are they, as of your latest info on them?"
"Nine of them, I'd heard," Nadia says. "As of three months ago."
"... huh," you say. "We fought ten."
"I suppose they've recruited since then," Nadia says with an audible shrug.
"Yeah, that's true," you agree, frowning thoughtfully. You do rather wonder whether all of those girls are there willingly, but that's something that you've left to Yuki to find out, you suppose. "Alright. If you're after any details, we can talk later, if not, uh... do you know anything about the team in Mandalay?"
"Nothing recent," Nadia says. "You've moved ahead of me, I haven't been there in a year. The last I heard, the team there fell apart about seven months ago."
"Ah, right," you say. "I... don't think that's the same team here now, but thanks."
"I'll come through there soon enough," Nadia says, sounding deeply amused. "But you'll know more than I do until then."
"Gotcha, gotcha," you say. "Alright, thanks. Uh... anything else?"
"No, thank you for the update," Nadia says, and ends the call.
A relatively new team, and all sisters, at that. And then Iowa dropped in on their heads. You can't help but suspect that Kyuubey's had a hand in their shenanigans, and you can't help but feel like this sort of casual cruelty is right up its alley.
It turns out that the Iowa group did have a clairvoyant, but a seemingly limited one. Mitakihara's a long way to travel for their next target, and yet, this entire mess was precipitated by their actions. True, word of you might have already made it to their ears, but you might also guess at expedited news.
Hah. You're building alliances in response, so joke's on it.
"I think I've figured it out," Kaoru mutters. "Yuma, I might need you to help me fix this."
"Good work, Kaoru!" Kazumi cheers, rocking back on her heels with a bright grin.
Kaoru glances up at you, normally-cheery face solemn and twisted in concentration.
"Their nerves are all messed up," Kaoru says. "She's... made it so that they think they're in a natural state, but they're not. Like, you know how nerve damage doesn't heal naturally most of the time? Like that, sort of, but..." Kaoru flutters her free hand. "I think that's why Yuma's magic didn't get it, at first."
She grimaces, the orange glow of her magic flickering around her fingers. "I can't heal as quick as a full healer can, so I think I can undo what she did, but Yuma, you're going to have to follow up quickly to heal them properly, OK?"
"You're sure?" you say.
"Reasonably sure, yeah," Kaoru says.
"I'll check with them, then," you say, and shuffle over to the girls, looking each of them in the eye as you translate Kaoru's words.
"Try it on me," Ta Kaung Chien says immediately.
"No!" Pa Kaung Min says. "You can't do that, we already-"
"Try it on me," Ta Kaung Chien demands. The eldest of the sisters.
You bite your lip, looking to Kaoru. "You're... sure about it?"
"As sure as I can be," Kaoru says, nodding firmly.
"Right," you say, shifting to burmese and gently cutting across the argument. "Everyone, please, uh- Kaoru knows what she's doing. Plus we have Yuma here, who's a dedicated healer, and we can bring in another healer if we need."
They're quiet for a moment before Ta Kaung Chien speaks again, insistent.
"Let me go first," she whispers. "Please. Let me do this."
You nod slowly.
"Kaoru?" you murmur. "This is Ta Kaung Chien. She's volunteered to try this first."
"... oh, really," Kaoru grumps. "This isn't some super-experimental technique- I mean it is, but I'm sure." She walks around, taking the girl's hand. "Yuma, are you ready?"
"Yuma's ready!" Yuma says.
"Then here we go," Kaoru says, gathering her magic.
A flare of orange light, then green, and...
Ta Kaung Chien bolts upright, slapping at her arms and whimpering as she curls on her side.
"That hurts-" Her eyes widen. "O-oh! I-" She uncurls slightly, staring at her hands, then at her sisters, then Kaoru. "I'm OK, I'm- T-thank you. Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Kaoru says, guessing correctly even through the language barrier. "Yuma, ready for the others?"
"Yeah!" Yuma says.
You can only watch, smiling, as Kaoru and Yuma repeat the process for the other two, both of them working together easily. And you watch as three bodies go from lying as still as corpses to a crying, hugging pile of intermingled relief and sorrow.
"Let's give them a moment," you suggest quietly, nudging your friends back. "And probably get out of the sky, too."
"Yeah," Kazumi murmurs, tugging Kaoru back. "Good work, Kaoru."
"And you too, Yuma," you say, giving her a smile as you retreat to the far end of the Grief platform. Slowly, you start lowering the disc, descending towards Yuki's claimed building below.
"Sabrina?" Hitomi murmurs. "You've got just over a minute to decide. Cancel, yes or no?"
[] Cancel the message, commit to heading back as soon as possible
[] Leave it be - regrettably, this might take some time
[x] Vote in abeyance
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
[X] Explain who you all are. Make sure they're okay, and offer any help they might need, both immediate healing/cleansing and more long term aid.
-[X] Ask if they're willing to talk about themselves and what happened, including whether the lost anyone.
-[X] Offer partially/fully cleared seeds (their preference) to help them get back on their feet if they want it.
-[X] Ask if they're willing to talk about themselves and what happened, including whether the lost anyone.
-[X] Offer partially/fully cleared seeds (their preference) to help them get back on their feet if they want it.
=====
I decided to drop Nadia's 'fimti' thing, since you were speaking in darija. Consider it translation convention.
Incidentally, I think I got the locals' names right, but if anyone has a correction to offer, I'll happily take it.
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Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
"WHAT THE FUCK DOES SHE MEAN THEY TOOK DOWN IOWA?!" Nadia screams into the window as the train passes through the countryside.
She already can feel insane laughter building up inside.
"So. Much. Bullshit."
Anyway. Firnagzen? Eye colors? Keikaku? Yes or no?
Can someone remind me what message is being discussed, here?
Borked formatting on the italics.
Um...did you mean to hold down the i key there?
I say don't cancel the message. Helping the hostages and deciding what to do with Iowa should take full priority here. Yes, it will take a while, but better that than leaving the job half done and needing to come back later.
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
The meeting with Hitomi's family/clan.
The message is to cancel it, we left it on a timer in case we won't be able to return in time.
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The Phoenixian
The Glacier Witch
- Location
- My own little world
Hunh, so healing can, in fact, muck with bodies' natural states. Glad that was handled.
I suppose that also explains why most girls never heal themselves young: They just hit that wall of how things are "supposed" to be and don't think to look deeper.
I suppose that also explains why most girls never heal themselves young: They just hit that wall of how things are "supposed" to be and don't think to look deeper.
Angrygenius
Professional Insomniac
- Location
- Florida
- Pronouns
- Him/He
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! UPDATE!!!!
Ah yes, the vote.
[X] Leave it be- Regrettably, this might take some time.
There is simply too much to do, and we need to take our time with interacting with the hostages so we can learn more about what has been happening and what Iowa was doing, so we can better understand what we should do with them punishment-wise. Also, diplomacy with the locals would mean new people to talk to/ ally with.
I'll let others decide the rest.
Ah yes, the vote.
[X] Leave it be- Regrettably, this might take some time.
There is simply too much to do, and we need to take our time with interacting with the hostages so we can learn more about what has been happening and what Iowa was doing, so we can better understand what we should do with them punishment-wise. Also, diplomacy with the locals would mean new people to talk to/ ally with.
I'll let others decide the rest.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
We scheduled a text to Nagisa's uncle about how we had to bail on his niece.
SRLYWHYTHO
Tzeentchian Pragmatist, Deutaragonist of my Story
- Location
- A very cold place.
Nope, not gonna vote. My thought processes regarding Iowa are in the level of "gem them, atomize the bodies" so nope.
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
Extra italics tag there.
Also, I think at the very least we should leave them some money and a clear seed. They're probably homeless and penniless after Iowa went through their family.
I'd offer that we take them to Mitakihara for a while but I don't think they can communicate with anyone there at all aside from Sabrina.
Tua
鸡肉面条汤
- Location
- شوربة الدجاج المعكرونة
Shouldn't this be Yuki since she is one interrogating the Iowa girls to find these things out?
Alright, so some questions for the plan makers, to set the tone.
1. Are we going to be spending "resources" (time, grief, and so on) redeeming the Iowa girls, especially given this latest horror show?
2. Since we'll need to imprison them anyway, is it possible to devise a quick and dirty "magical girl penal code", which will likely involve something similar to the Oriko redemption project?
I'm specifically talking soul gem containment/house arrest or parole depending on their life circumstances.
3. Do we need to prioritise the battleship projection girl for Walpurgisnacht parole, given that 2 is realised in some form?
1. Are we going to be spending "resources" (time, grief, and so on) redeeming the Iowa girls, especially given this latest horror show?
2. Since we'll need to imprison them anyway, is it possible to devise a quick and dirty "magical girl penal code", which will likely involve something similar to the Oriko redemption project?
I'm specifically talking soul gem containment/house arrest or parole depending on their life circumstances.
3. Do we need to prioritise the battleship projection girl for Walpurgisnacht parole, given that 2 is realised in some form?
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For context, here is the message.
Lowlife 11 said:
- Location
- Not Entirely Here
So a healer magical girl whose self image is somehow stuck as a young child might actually heal themselves young?