"...What? I just wanted to see just what Sabrina saw in the stuff. stop looking at me like that." "I'm disappointed with you, Oriko." "Oriko, please, that's no way for a proper lady to drink tea." "You shut your goddamn hypocritical mouth."
Also, who should I do next? Mami and Sabrina will probably be last (and i'm really tempted to see what we'd get if I gave Lutzsan only a description of Sabrina's outfit as opposed to reference after other art).
I'm going to get at least all members of our alliance in one consistent art style! Eventually! The Pleiades will be last.
Also also, Lutzsan wants to put dialoge boxes in the shitposting image... anyone got good suggestions?
I somehow feel like there are several things wrong with this.
I feel like when Sayaka starts calling for a leninist revolution, Kyoko starts advocating for reinstating the emperor's divine status, and Homura starts ranting about the evils of social welfare is when we know things have gone horribly wrong.
I somehow feel like there are several things wrong with this.
I feel like when Sayaka starts calling for a leninist revolution, Kyoko starts advocating for reinstating the emperor's divine status, and Homura starts ranting about the evils of social welfare is when we know things have gone horribly wrong.
Well the thing is, the Y-axis of that graph isn't labelled, so we have no idea how to apply it.
The original graph had it labeled as the level of authority the government should have, but that doesn't really have any broader context in terms of how it applies to the girls.
Also, how would economy aply? I assume it means about whether girls should try and get grief seeds the most ethical way possible on the left side, and by any means necessary, even feeding humans to familiars, on the right side.
I suppose the Y-axis could be about if magical girls should group up or not, but that would mean that Homura and Kyouko would switch positions on the graph... Wait, but then where would Madoka be?
Also, Sabrina wouldn't even be on the chart, instead opting to have tea and conversation between Ayn Rand and Karl Marx to get a better viewpoint of both sides, while the rest stare on from their boxes, not understanding.
(also, Homura looks like she's ready to hit a whip or a yeet. God that was an embarrassing part of history)
Also, Sabrina wouldn't even be on the chart, instead opting to have tea and conversation between Ayn Rand and Karl Marx to get a better viewpoint of both sides, while the rest stare on from their boxes, not understanding.
I somehow feel like there are several things wrong with this.
I feel like when Sayaka starts calling for a leninist revolution, Kyoko starts advocating for reinstating the emperor's divine status, and Homura starts ranting about the evils of social welfare is when we know things have gone horribly wrong.
Sayaka and Kyoko should be switched so that their colors match. Also because Sayaka's authoritarian right, because, as a knight, she supports the monarchy. Honestly, Kyoko is more libertarian right, just because of her disdain for non-selfish wishes and rejection of the concept of strong leaders, since that was sort of the idea with her dad, and look at what he did. Homura's fine: she likes guns, hates charities (like the orphanage), and is all about standing on her own and not accepting help from others. Madoka's also fine: as a goddess, she'll let you wish bad, but will take care of you afterwards.
The original graph had it labeled as the level of authority the government should have, but that doesn't really have any broader context in terms of how it applies to the girls.
Also, how would economy aply? I assume it means about whether girls should try and get grief seeds the most ethical way possible on the left side, and by any means necessary, even feeding humans to familiars, on the right side.
I suppose the Y-axis could be about if magical girls should group up or not, but that would mean that Homura and Kyouko would switch positions on the graph... Wait, but then where would Madoka be?
In the personal sense, the Y-axis, authoritarian/libertarian, would correspond to a continuum ranging from a strong trust for authority figures to a dislike of the concept of rules and strict power structures. Economically, we can talk about an enforced, equitable distribution of grief seeds on the left vs the idea that only meguca who hunt get to eat on the right. With those criteria, Sabrina feels pretty center left to me, being all about grief seed UBI but torn between her natural tendency for control and a belief in personal agency.
The mutual aid group is likely going to have a lot more governance, centralized power, and hierarchy than the average meguca experience, which is pretty laissez-faire. The average magical girl probably isn't going to have experience with much more hierarchy than a small friend group that has hunting rights on a ward of a large city, enforced entirely by the threat of violence. So that's likely near the current center of the magical girl authoritarian/libertarian Overton window. I think we generally agree that we want more hierarchy than that, but we definitely don't want as much as Tokyo's probable dictatorship enforced by memory erasure.
"So, Hitomi," you say, a teasing grin on your face. "What happened to 'not even going to a restaurant', anyway?"
You gesture at the room - the rather fancy private room at that, all lacquered hardwoods and polished brass and ambiguously, vaguely old-west decor. There's even a hatstand by the door, slightly out of place against the discreet LED lighting and the general lack of hats. Perhaps if Mami had had her beret on.
"Oh, that would be my fault," Ichiro says genially, before Hitomi can respond. "And my dear wife's too, technically. She wanted to keep it a mystery what this discussion might be about, just insisted that it was an important business talk. Of course, I feel much better having business discussions in a more formal location."
"And you wanted to come here again," Haruka says, deeply amused.
"And I wanted to come here again. I do so rarely have the opportunity to, since work usually demands more... formal destinations," Ichiro agrees readily. "And I remain deeply intrigued over this mysterious discussion brought before me! It's not every day that a few of my daughter's friends come to me with information of... how did you put it, Haruka? Genuinely paradigm-shifting importance?"
"I stand by what I said," Haruka says staunchly.
"I can't wait, then," Ichiro says. "Though perhaps we should wait until the appetizers, at least. They won't be long."
You take a brief moment to mourn for the loss of the perfect segue Haruka had provided earlier. Mami seems to notice, quirking a look of mild concern in your direction, to which you respond with a swift smile, reaching out to take her hand.
"Then we shall wait," you say. "It's... maybe something better to talk about when we're not all hungry, anyway."
"There's a lesson to be learned here," Ichiro says, nodding thoughtfully. "Sometimes, what seems to be a stroke of genius manuveuring, whether in business or in life, might just be because someone did what they wanted. Not everything is a masterstroke of planning, and not everything needs to be a masterstroke of planning."
"Papa..." Hitomi says.
"It's true," Ichiro saying with a blithe smile.
And it's just then that the room door slides open, and a waiter arrives with appetizers - baskets of onion rings and chicken wings and, incongruously, chawanmushi, steamed egg custard in little pots. Jugs of iced water, too. You help yourself to a little of everything, enjoying the savory crunch of deep fried food, and you make sure that Homura gets some, too.
"These are good," Mami says, smiling as she bites delicately into her second onion ring. "If I'm not careful, I could wind up being full before the main course arrives."
"That would be a pity," Ichiro says. "Because Haruka's right about the chefs here being excellent, even if you're not having the steak!"
... Well, that's as good an opening as you're going to get.
"Speaking of Mrs Shizuki being right," you say. "It's not the only thing that she was right about."
"Oh, she's usually right. And I don't mean that as hyperbole," Ichiro says, casting a warm look at Haruka, who in turn offers a demurely smug smile. He sits up straight, clasping his hands in front of him and facing you squarely - no trace of mockery in his expression or pose, just honest curiosity leavened with a touch of bafflement. "So. What do you have for me, Miss Sabrina?"
You flick your eyes to the door, checking that it's shut before closing.
"Magic is real," you say simply. You let Grief unfurl around your free hand, darkness boiling into existence seeming from thin air. You draw from your nanofog, imploding it around a thousand nucleation sites like a thousand stars forming from the void.
Ichiro jolts, eyes going wide... and then he stills, gaze flickering about the room as if looking for hidden machinery. Or cameras. He glances at Haruka for a moment too, but his wife's expression remains unperturbed.
And then you pick up every single plate and utensil on the table, swinging them in gentle arcs around the table as you clean them off. Each item traces a different path, a dazzling display with a dozen intersections as cutlery swings over and past and around each other in orbits that would be impossible with mere wires. Finally, everything cleaned and having completing at least one lap around the room, you gently replace it all back to where you'd taken it from.
Ichiro lets out a slow, carefully controlled breath, raising his glass of water with a hand that shakes slightly to take a sip.
Hitomi, unperturbed, snacks daintily on another chicken wing with a thoughtful air, her eyes on her father.
"... Very well, then," Ichiro says, glancing once more at his wife, who nods firmly. "I trust Haruka, and so I'll do us all the courtesy of skipping over my initial skepticism."
He pinches the bridge of his noise, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them and looking at you.
"I assume that the three of you young ladies are... magicians, mages, wizards, witches, priestesses, or whatever the term might be?" he says.
"Ah. Magical girls, then. And you, Hitomi?" Ichiro asks, turning his attention to his daughter.
"Not at all, papa," Hitomi says. "I'm told I have no potential for it."
"Ah," Ichiro says. He frowns in consideration. "I'm... sorry?"
"There are costs to magic," Hitomi says, shaking her head. "It's a good thing I'm not, I suppose."
"Fighting witches would be part of it?" Ichiro asks. He holds up a hand before you can answer, pinching the bridge of his nose again with a pained look.
"Slow down, hon," Haruka says. "I'm sure you have a thousand questions."
"How do you know about it?" Ichiro asks, eyes still closed.
"I knew a magical girl, when I was their age," Haruka says. She shrugs gracefully. "Sadly, we lost contact, but... seeing Hitomi's friends reminded me about her."
"Ah, I see," Ichiro says, opening his eyes once more. "What kind of... magic do you do? Miss Sabrina can control that... dark matter, it seems, and has some kind of telekinesis? Is that something you can all do?"
"It's not telekinesis, actually. It's the same stuff, just divided down into particles so small you can't see them with your naked eye," you say with a smile, carefully eliding what that stuff actually is for the moment. Heavy topics later. "My powers are actually kind of unique, as far as we know. But I can control it at a distance, yes."
You form up a larger sphere and let it drift across the table to Ichiro, who peers at it with interest, pressing his palm against it and pushing. His eyebrows arch with surprise when it doesn't yield in the slightest, hovering stationary in the air.
"Very interesting," he says. "What about you, Miss Tomoe, Miss Akemi?"
"I have ribbon magic," Mami says with a smile, holding up one hand and unspooling golden ribbon between her fingers. "I can form it into various shapes, such as..." The ribbon twists and turns on itself, forming into an elegant model of the entire building you're currently in.
Mami flicks a swift glance at Homura before continuing, almost imperceptible.
"Magical girls have an immensely varied and personalized set of powers. I would go so far as to say that magic is almost uniquely individual, but there are some patterns," she says. "Some do indeed have telekinesis, though even then, the expression varies from force-fields to, well, invisible force. Others are teleporters, and elemental controllers are fairly common - fire, wind, water, and so forth. Item creation is a fairly common power, as are illusions. Some control giant teddy bears, and others still are clairvoyant."
You help yourself to a pot of chawanmushi as you listen - unfitting match for the restaurant though they might be, they are quite good, smooth and silky and savoury.
"Giant teddy bears?" Haruka asks.
"One of our friends," Mami says with a smile. "She truly loves her collection, so..."
"I suppose that makes sense," Haruka says, chuckling quietly.
"Did you say that some can create items out of thin air?" Ichiro asks, raising a quizzical eyebrow and glancing at his daughter, then back to Mami. "I assume there must be some substantial effort involved, or the markets would have crashed. Every market, forever. And... clairvoyance, you said?"
"The daughter of Mikuni Hisaomi, actually," you say, your spoon pausing. "You, ah, may have heard of him?"
"Oh. Senator Mikuni," Ichiro says, frowning. "That was a bad business." He sighs. "Clairvoyance would be terribly useful in my line of work, though I admit it sounds rather unethical to use it that way. There are magical girls... working, I assume? In, ah, normal lines of work, that is."
"Do you know, I asked the same thing?" Haruka says, smiling. "Great minds think alike."
Ichiro grins at his wife.
"Well, ah, there's a non-zero number, yes," you say. "Case in point, just earlier today, we, ah, formalized an alliance, to which Nakano Mika is a part of."
"The name sounds familiar," Ichiro says, rubbing his chin. "But I can't quite place it?"
"Nakano Corporation?" Haruka asks. Her eyes narrow. "Is that related to their recent activities in Mitakihara?"
"Yeee-eees," you say. "At least partially? She did us a favour?"
"Oho. Very interesting," Haruka says. "I haven't heard much about her, but I suppose that should change."
"She intends to take over the company," you offer.
"And she certainly doesn't want for ambition, I see," Ichiro observes, and chuckles. "I would say we should reach out to her, but that would be something for a year or two down the road, I suppose."
"I think she'd appreciate that," you say.
"I think..." Ichiro turns to Mami. "Miss Tomoe, you mentioned fighting witches?"
Mami nods, her back straightening as the topics turn more serious. You can feel your own smile slip.
"It's one of the prices of magic," she says gravely. "We need Grief Seeds to live, and we can only obtain them by killing monsters called Witches."
"I remember a few, from back then," Haruka says. "They're... strange. Terrifying, eldritch monstrosities."
"So, a fight for survival," Ichiro says, lips compressing together. "Aren't there any adults or something in charge of this? Surely you shouldn't have to do this."
"Unfortunately, no," you say, exhaling and setting your spoon down, the egg custard suddenly ash on your tongue. "I should warn you. Some of the topics along this line of discussion are substantially darker than might be good, ah, dinner topics, I suppose. I... we are perfectly willing to answer, to be clear, but..."
"Oh, the main courses will be a while," Ichiro says. His eyes are hard now, and you're all but certain he's beginning to make some pertinent guesses.
"Alright," you say, grimacing. Professional. You're trying to keep this a professional talk. "Then this, as I said, is where things get darker - there are precious few adult magical girls, because very few of us make it there. We're forced to hunt, to fight, for things we need to survive. Not only that - left unchecked, Witches prey on people."
"Mm," Ichiro says. His eyes narrow, thoughts disappearing behind a thoughtful mask.
"Mrs Shizuki likened it to being a firefighter the last time we discussed it. We fight not only to survive, but also to save people. Unfortunately..." Mami sighs, shoulders slumping a little. "Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. Territorial fights are common."
"There are only so many Witches appearing within a territory," Homura whispers, ghost-quiet and solemn. She sets the onion ring she'd been nibbling on down to face Ichiro, violet eyes hard. "And we need them to survive."
"I've been a magical girl for years," Mami says. "And I've seen more than a few... invaders, who wanted to chase me out of this city. I've had to fight. I never killed anyone, but..." She shakes her head.
"Yeah," you say, sighing and squeezing Mami's hand in yours. "I mentioned the alliance with Miss Nakano, right? We've formed a larger conglomerate, with magical girls from Asunaro and Fukushima - we call ourselves the Constellation, and I like to think we've got some of the most experienced and versatile magical girls in all of Japan under one banner." You manage a smile. "We've got Mami, after all, and Homura."
"Why hasn't that happened before?" Ichiro asks. "How long has... magic been around?"
"Since we lived in caves, if you listen to..." you say. You take a sip of water, marshalling your thoughts before deciding to commit to it. "And therein lies the real reason, I suppose. You know how magical girls in shows always have some kind of cute animal mascot that grants them their power?"
"Not really, but I take your point?" Ichiro says. "I suppose Sailor Moon has her cat, yes."
"Like that, yeah. Ours is a creature called Kyuubey, from a... species who call themselves the Incubators," you say, your jaw tensing slightly. "It's... from the outside, it's this cute, cuddly creature. It is not. Its appearance is something to be used. It... catalyzes our power, turns us into magical girls, and then it uses- it exploits us. It's to its interest that we can't organize effectively, and that's why no real large scale organizations exist."
"Ah. It's a familiar enough concept, unfortunately," Ichiro says, gaze sharpening. "To use an analogy: you have a union-busting CEO, correct? It doesn't want organization, because smaller, isolated groups are easier to dictate terms to and exploit, correct?"
"That's one way to put it. People have died for it. So very many people," you growl, and oh, it is a growl.
Union-busting. Cold, and clinical, and entirely fitting and yet totally insufficient for what the Incubators have done. How many deaths can you lay at its feet throughout history, you wonder? When you know what it's done to your friends, to people you barely know? To everyone on this planet, past and present?
Entropy. Pfeh. One day you're going to crack that secret, and then you'll see.
Homura's staring at you, and so is Haruka. Ichiro regards you with a calm, assessing expression, and so too is Hitomi. She comes by her reserve honestly, you suppose.
Hah. Where's that 'good actress' gone now? You close your eyes for a moment, reining the dull, throbbing seethe of anger back, and exhale. You feel... comfortable, you suppose. Among friends. Comfortable enough to let your walls down a little, but...
Calm. Professional.
Mami's hand in yours is a stabilizing presence. A familiar warmth.
"I apologise," you say. "'Union busting' isn't wrong, I suppose. But... people die to what it does."
"No, I apologise," Ichiro says, shaking his head. "I made a comparison that was offensive, and even if I wasn't aware it would, it hurt you. For that, I apologise."
"I... well, thank you," you say. "And there is, ah, one last aspect to this, but it's..." You grimace unhappily. You remember when you'd told Mami about Soul Gems, when you'd told Madoka and Sayaka and Hitomi about them. "It's a deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant one. If you'd rather hear it later, or another time entirely, that's fine."
Mami stiffens slightly beside you as she guesses at the topic. And now it's your turn to offer her what comfort you can, stroking your thumb slowly against the back of her hand.
"If you're comfortable with it, I think we'd rather hear it now," Ichiro says after exchanging a long, wordless look with Haruka. He offers a faint smile. "If nothing else, some good food and dessert after this might help settle our moods."
"Alright, then," you say. You hold your left hand out, your Soul Gem shimmering into view - that familiar egg-shaped crystal of purest white, embraced in golden filigree. "As I mentioned, Kyuubey catalyzes our powers, turns us into magical girls. This is part of it - this is my Soul Gem. The term is literal, and it is my life."
"We had no idea, at the time," Haruka says, her voice cold and pained. "If... if Ritsuko ever knew, she never said."
"She may not have known, the entire time you knew her," you say. "The Incubator actively suppresses information. All the better to sucker young girls into this." You close your eyes briefly. "As young as eight."
"God help us," Ichiro murmurs, fervent and utterly sickened. "And they've potentially been doing this for thousands of years. Across the world? What's its goal?"
"As far as I know, yes," you say. Mami's hand is tight on yours, a crushing, white-knuckled grip. You squeeze back, trying to offer comfort, and she seems to draw strength from it, straightening a little. "And as to the other question... Used Grief Seeds are the magical equivalent of enriched nuclear material. They're incredibly useful to them."
And if there's still a thread of anger seeping into your voice, well, you don't exactly enjoy the thought of being harvested.
"But we're fighting to make things better," Mami says. "Sabrina's magic is unique, for a start. It lets us sidestep the need for Grief Seeds, and we've been making allies."
"The most pertinent concern, then, is that this Kyuubey seems to have both means and motive to break up a movement such as yours," Ichiro says, eyes narrowing. "Why hasn't he?"
"I don't know," you answer honestly. "One of my guesses is that it's waiting for the best time to destabilize things, or perhaps it's just playing the long game and working from the shadows, or similar. I'm... almost certain that it's directing hostile magical girls against us."
"I see," Ichiro says, dragging a shaky hand down his face. "Alright. I begin to see the shape of things, I think."
"I apologize, sincerely, for bringing the mood down," you say.
"It's hardly your fault. And I was the one who agreed to speak on heavier subjects," Ichiro says. "That said, I think it would be prudent to put a pause on these discussions for the moment... I think Haruka and I need a moment to absorb all this."
"Of course," you say, nodding. "Well... thank you for listening, then."
"Nonsense," he says firmly. "When something this momentous falls into my lap, listening is the least I can do - and you gave me fair warning that heavy topics would be discussed."
A button-press summons the waiter, and a few murmured words has him returning swiftly with a steaming pot of tea with accompanying cups. Ceylon black tea, fragrant and soothing, which Ichiro allows to steep for a minute before pouring for everyone.
He drains his first cup as if wishing he had something with a bit more alcohol content, Haruka gently touching his arm in quiet support. They're taking it well, you think, or as well as you could have hoped for under the circumstances. Frankly, you'd been expecting a bit more resistance from the start, as opposed to the unflinching acceptance you've seen so far.
Then again, they're both high-powered executives of some kind, though you admit you're still not exactly sure of the specifics there. They're probably used to high-stress situations and revelations, if not exactly to this magnitude. And neither of them would lack for vision or ambition, to reach the positions they have.
You take your time, sipping yours slowly as Mami shuffles her chair over to lean against your side. You savour the rich smokiness of the tea, slipping your arm around Mami as she sips at her own.
"So, the Constellation?" Hitomi asks lightly, leaning towards you from Homura's other side and arching an eyebrow.
"Oh, ah..." Your eyes widen a little, dismay sinking in. "We were discussing the matter of our alliance, and we needed a name."
"I'm almost insulted that you didn't invite Madoka or myself," Hitomi says, arching her eyebrows. "I'd have loved to pitch in."
"Ah... I'm really sorry about that," you say, grimacing. "It was kind of an ad-hoc thing, and we were just discussing on the spot. I should have thought of it, and I didn't. I'm sorry."
Hitomi snickers genteelly, waving you off.
"I'm just teasing," Hitomi says, shaking her head. "Constellation's a fine name, though I'm sure I could have thought of something better."
"Oh?" you say. "It's not too late to change the name, I think."
"Well, not right this moment," Hitomi amends. "But in general!"
"So... you are involved in this, Hitomi?" Ichiro asks, looking up.
"Nowhere near the actual magic or violence, but yes," your friend says, glancing at you questioningly. You motion towards her with a smile - it's her story to tell, and her parents. "I'm a... political and economic advisor, I suppose would be the best term? Madoka too."
"And she's been invaluable in the role," you add.
"Good, good," Ichiro says, nodding. Unspoken is the quiet relief on his face, that his daughter isn't in harm's way, as he turns his attention back to you. "You've been speaking of alliance and politics?"
"Ah, yeah," you say, taking that as an invitation to expand on a somewhat lighter topic. "A few of us can fly, and at the core of it, we're banding together to... try and improve the lives of magical girls, and for mutual defense. My personal vision is to expand the organization globally and use that influence to help magical girls everywhere, but we haven't properly codified the Constellation's mission statement yet. I mean, we only named it today, even. There's a lot to do, and I don't just mean in putting together an organization."
"You should do that soon," Haruka observes. She looks a little calmer, her back straight and face less ghastly-pale. "I assume that you're all broadly aligned in goals, but a mission statement isn't just a nice corporate slogan, you know? It's a guiding principle."
"We do intend on getting it done soon, yeah, but our organization is very new," you say. You debate on elaborating on the circumstances, that you were taking the opportunity of coming off an easy victory to cement something greater, but... perhaps not. You're trying to keep the tone lighter for now.
"Good!" Haruka says. She's trying to force levity, you can tell that much, but like her husband, she's less than pleased with the revelations. "Hitomi, if you're going to advise them, then you'd better remember all your lessons, alright?"
"Yes, mama," Hitomi says with a faint smile.
"I admit, I'm not happy about the existence of all this," Ichiro says, his voice tight. "None of this is right - you are, no offense intended, children. You shouldn't be saddled with life and death responsibilities, and my first instinct is that you need experienced leadership-" he holds up both hands in a gesture of surrender "-but I sincerely doubt that it would be appreciated from an outsider. That line of thinking never ends well, and I would be out of my depth in any case."
You take another sip of tea, using the time to marshal your thoughts.
"There is... one more externality to the situation," you say quietly, frowning. "One of the other major reasons that no general knowledge of magic exists is that the Incubators have their tentacles in... many aspects of the world, and that influence is used to suppress and cover up anything related."
"I had surmised as much," Ichiro says. "And it must be a truly effective cover-up, or we would know it already."
"Exactly," you say, nodding and choosing to elide the details for now. Memory modification isn't exactly a casual topic, after all.
Ichiro sighs, sitting back. He looks at once gloomy and furious, anger simmering behind an air of vague disillusionment with the world at large. Haruka isn't in much better state, deep in thought as she nibbles at a pot of chawanmushi with distracted, mechanical movements.
You can't exactly blame them, when you've dropped this much bad news on them.
"And despite all that, we're changing things," you say, trying to project confidence, and conviction, and control in your voice. "There's a lot to do. A lot of hurt to mend. But we've gotten started on it - my friends and I. The Constellation, and all the magical girls I've already reached out to."
"There's hope despite everything against us," Mami adds softly. "Things have begun to change, and we're pulling together resources and people in a way that have seldom been seen. Sabrina's powers are unique, and they let us avoid one of the most fundamental issues: she makes it so that we don't have to fight over Grief Seeds."
Homura nods silently.
"I can see how that would help," Haruka says, stirring. "You must have people flocking to you."
"Not quite yet," you say. "I've only been really active for a few weeks. That said, we've already welcomed two... refugees, I suppose? to Mitakihara." You flick your gaze to Hitomi, who nods. "Hitomi was a lot of help there, actually - if she asked you about housing lately, it was for them."
"Ah, the rental?" Haruka asks. "I did wonder. Is that second house you're after for incoming refugees as well, Hitomi?"
You try not to look too startled at the cavalier acceptance, but then again, the Shizukis seem to all trust each other very much.
"Yes, it was," Hitomi says, smiling slightly. "But the second house is for a project Homura and I are working on for the Constellation."
"Oh?" Ichiro says. "This sounds interesting."
Hitomi shrugs, looking to Homura.
"One of our associates can teleport between buildings," Homura says, after a slightly awkward pause. "We want to set up a node in Mitakihara."
"Ah, that sounds useful in more ways than one," Ichiro says. "How far does the... network span?"
"Not far," Homura says. "Within Japan."
"Well... she has one node in Myanmar as of today," you say. "The magical girl in question Tsuruya Yuki, from Fukushima, and her magic is to claim and control buildings - and one of the conditions for her joining us is that wherever we went, she would want to try and claim a building - which, really, is to everyone's benefit, since we'd get instant transport and all."
"She sounds like an interesting person," Ichiro says, and raises an eyebrow. "Additionally... you were in Myanmar today? That must be a twelve hour flight?"
"I can fly fast, and carry people with me," you say with a slight grin. "And we teleported back for the return leg, so it wasn't as long as you might expect."
"That sounds terribly convenient," Ichiro says. His tone turns lighter. "I don't suppose you offer courier services?"
You snicker. Somehow, that sounds like a familiar idea. Not a bad one, really, and he might have meant it as a joke, but you've got a serious answer for that, too.
"I mean, in an emergency, sure, but I have too much to do to stick to a regular schedule," you say. You grin, and hold your hands out as if weighing things. "Saving the world is a busy job and all. And if you're asking about Miss Tsuruya... I don't know. If you're serious about it, I could put you in touch?"
"I was joking, but the more I think about it, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. The reverse applies too: if you want to set up a shipping business, do let me know," Ichiro says, rubbing his chin. "Or indeed, Miss Tsuruya."
"Thank you for the offer!" you say with a grin. You've got a few ideas to make money yourself, but being able to hand one to Yuki might be nice, too. "In all honesty, we might want to set up some business ventures at some point. Funding... isn't exactly in ready supply for us magical girls - some of us have powers we can parley into making money, but people are, ah, suspicious of the source, you know? Not unreasonably so, but still."
"I can certainly understand that. If you do have any serious thoughts in that direction, you can always pass Hitomi a message," Ichiro says. He grins proudly. "She can advise you on creating a propsal, too."
Hitomi ducks her head a little, smiling slightly.
The conversation lapses once more, everyone chewing over the situation - but at least the quiet isn't as uncomfortable now. Just as well, perhaps, because that's when a polite knock at the door heralds the arrival of your food.
You smile, thanking the waiter as he sets your meals down. Lasagna for you and Mami, steak for Homura and Haruka, salmon for Hitomi, and roast chicken for Ichiro.
Which reminds you that Homura had a steak for lunch too. By her own choice, even, just as this was. Which suggests, of course, that you've found another type of meal you can bribelure use to fatten Homura up, because she is still too damned skinny, in your opinion.
... Hrm.
Now that you think about it, you're not sure you like that phrasing, even if it's just in the sanctity of your mind. Sure, you mean it as a joke, but fattening up is what you do to livestock. The Incubators think of you as livestock, and, well... you're supposed to do better. To be better. And you mean it well - you don't like how unhealthily thin Homura is. She's definitely underweight. And you want her to eat better, and maybe she can handle any issues with magic, but at the core of it, you want her to treat herself better.
So you'll stick with 'bribe'. That sounds better. Coopting the tools of the bourgeoise is good praxis, probably. Definitely. Almost certainly.
You've found something new that you can bribe Homura with.
Excellent.
[] What else do you want to cover?
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
[X] Grief accumulation and the need for grief seeds -- death upon the gem filling.
[X] Incubators and the Masquerade
-[X] The masquerade isolates magical girls from their peers and prevents any systemic change.
=====
Whew. Finally. It's been a brutal couple days at work, and this was a monster of a chapter, but finally!
Eh, Firn does as he pleases. He's fairly busy during the week, so he doesn't always comb through the thread post-by-post, and even then he doesn't index all the omakes. This one is hardly unique in this regard.
We need a little more Privacy for what comes next, eh tovarisch? Let's cut off surveilance now. What we just communicated is well within the anticipated range that Kyuubey would expect from us. The details of our business, on the other hand are too useful to the antagonist. Cover up.
We need to give them both a statement of "what we want the to do next," a call to action in the trade speak.
A better exchange of information regarding what "magic" means in an economic sense has to get into their minds as well. So far, Ichiro is all "Kiki's Delivery Service." He just doesn't think that way, so we need to help. First, Magical Healing isn't even on the radar for them yet. But more pressing, we need to make our powers genrate a big return faster than a startup industrial company. We need access to the troubleshooting market. Motivated actors with a budget for advantage, and an "impossible" job to do. Let's hear how we all want to have this happen?
Mentioning Tokyo in much greater detail would also be wise. Combat and lawgiving can wait for another day, but right now we would benefit for a good shot-in-the-arm with political strategies. Then we can move on to "hey, we want you guys to be our franchise agents to turn more adults."
We can dress this up further, but which basics are still missing?
(Thank you for the food) @Jefardi - tenshi.) Even if it isn't perfect, it is beautiful!
Considering Homura's eating habits, no bribing Mom? I think "nurture" is such a better way to think. Consider that?
The difference is more that all magical girls are also in the same plight, without any choice in the matter, and with precious few exceptions, they all inevitably die in short order. And, well, there is actually a chance of improvement for workers, with historical precedent. For magical girls? For thousands of years, there has not been a single instance of success. Even the Tokyo organization looks like a house of cards relying on a memory-manipulator to not collapse. Plus, well, Kyubey could just go on a contracting spree in Tokyo to bring the organization down whenever he wanted (after all, it's not like the Tokyo organization could handle such a huge influx of new magical girls when there just aren't enough Witches to sustain them, and the psychological harm of the existing members forcing the new girls out of the city knowing they're all going to die would make the organization start to crumble anyway).
"Alright, then," you say. You hold your left hand out, your Soul Gem shimmering into view - that familiar egg-shaped crystal of purest white, embraced in golden filigree. "As I mentioned, Kyuubey catalyzes our powers, turns us into magical girls. This is part of it - this is my Soul Gem. The term is literal, and it is my life."
"What?" Haruka whispers, horror-struck. Her face has gone grey, the blood draining from her cheeks. "I don't... Ritsuko never said."
"The term Soul Gem is unfortunately literal," you say crisply. You cover Mami's hand with yours, trying to convey as much reassurance as you can. "Kyuubey is a disingenuous obfuscator who does not tell prospective magical girls about that."
Mrs Shizuki's eyes go wide, hand rising to cover her mouth. "I- I see. I-" she swallows. "I see. So all of you..."
We need a little more Privacy for what comes next, eh tovarisch? Let's cut off surveilance now. What we just communicated is well within the anticipated range that Kyuubey would expect from us. The details of our business, on the other hand are too useful to the antagonist. Cover up.
We need to give them both a statement of "what we want the to do next," a call to action in the trade speak.
A better exchange of information regarding what "magic" means in an economic sense has to get into their minds as well. So far, Ichiro is all "Kiki's Delivery Service." He just doesn't think that way, so we need to help. First, Magical Healing isn't even on the radar for them yet. But more pressing, we need to make our powers genrate a big return faster than a startup industrial company. We need access to the troubleshooting market. Motivated actors with a budget for advantage, and an "impossible" job to do. Let's hear how we all want to have this happen?
Mentioning Tokyo in much greater detail would also be wise. Combat and lawgiving can wait for another day, but right now we would benefit for a good shot-in-the-arm with political strategies. Then we can move on to "hey, we want you guys to be our franchise agents to turn more adults."
We can dress this up further, but which basics are still missing?
(Thank you for the food) @Jefardi - tenshi.) Even if it isn't perfect, it is beautiful!
Considering Homura's eating habits, no bribing Mom? I think "nurture" is such a better way to think. Consider that?
Yeah, that's a good point. We should point out a few things for them now:
1) Walpurgisnacht. Yes, it could devastate much of the city. But there's a good chance we'll be able to kill it before it has the opportunity to do so. Also, it's a unique Witch, so it's not a recurring threat. (Yes, I know we probably don't want to drop more bad news on them right now, but this is definitely time sensitive. The more time they have to prepare, the better off they'll be.)
2) There are a number of possibilities for almost immediate return on investment. Delivery service is one thing, yes, but magical healing has the potential to do things that are simply impossible for even the best medical care in the world--like repairing major nerve damage, fixing a dying/damaged organ, restoring someone's limbs, perhaps even curing a patient of cancer. There's also the University Group's butterfly girl, who can naturally "carry" other people with her as she flies without any physical contact, which could be one hell of an awesome experience that plenty of people would be willing to pay good money for.
3) The influx of magical girl refugees into Mitakihara is something that needs to be prepared for, but it also represents a great opportunity. They'll need housing, basic necessities, and perhaps therapy. On top of that, they may need either translators or help learning Japanese. But with so many magical girls coming in, that's a lot of powers with potentially useful applications, too.
4) Sabrina's power allows her to not only personally sidestep the need for Grief Seeds, it also allows her to turn any Grief Seed into a Clear Seed, which can be used for years on end without any maintenance. This allows her to distribute the paradigm-shifting power around the world, and for half-filled Clear Seeds to be sent back to her for renewal, too.
5) Thus, while there's an awful lot of bad news, there is also a lot of hope, and a lot of potential to do a lot of good for magical girls and the world at large.
Well, that went well! Ichiro and Haruka seem great and I really like how they support Hitomi so well. They came off as easily competent and experienced with an eye for opportunity - invaluable to have and a good reminder that Hitomi herself can be key to more than a few decisions.
The thing is, just having a source of real world funding will probably be a huge lure for more than a few MGs. Sabrina's done a damn good job of keeping her refugees safe and happy. When the true moneymakers start coming in - girls who are terrible on the front line but great at support - then the upswing will begin.
Even minor clairvoyance would help all sorts of situations - sniffing out corruption, incompetence and malfeasance. And healing powers? People would pay Yuma an awful lot of money for minutes of work.
The absurd variety in abilities from sewing to shadow manipulation to actual antimatter all have very particular advantages that could be minmaxed to the moon and back if part of the right group. Hitomi and Madoka might be ideal for managing roles and groups on an active basis.
