Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
So if we eat a second Sayaka do we get a destiny gem for her?
Subsumption (PMMM Faux-Quest) (Witch MC)
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
Samurai.
She also ignored the illusion, so it seems to be a "see through bullshit" power. She looked at Sayaka and saw an Ashtoreth.
Progress towards second ascension.
Now I am envisioning a Pac-Man screenshot with a book floating down corridors slurping up tiny Piotr with Sayakas and Tiras in the corners as power-pellets and Homuras and Mamies flowing out of the centre in place of ghosts.
I had a thought on the familiars.
Shemesh is obvious: An instinctive dislike, but intellectually Ash appreciates the help. The Ummashtart seem like the opposite to me. Ash always seems to take one look and immediately state they are weak, fragile... useless, but seems to treat them as reminders of better times and generally useful things to have around, even if they are terrible at everything.
The thing is? Ummashtart actually seem like rather very effective familiars. Familiars are almost never more than mook hordes, and the key to defeating mook hordes is usually efficiency. The Ummashtart come in such variety that it is almost impossible to come up with a consistent method of defeating them. The terrain keeps them hidden, forcing expensive mass-destruction to clear. They just seem incredibly annoying to endure, and for something that mainly serves to wear invaders down and throw them off their game, annoying seems like the best bet. Of course, they are also incredibly passive unless Ashtaroth is being shot by a thousand giant muskets right there in front of them, but somewhere out there there must be a hostile magical girl who isn't freakishly mobile and actually triggers the ummashtart into hostility. Is it really so difficult to not ride a
[x] Spend the day chasing Ummashtart down and hugging them. They are the best!
Given the strained relationship between Mami and Tira, with Tiras suspicions about Kyubey and Mamis' feelings of being betrayed/abandoned, it could also make things worse. Something to try over a few loops I guess.
I suspect the dizziness comes from Sayaka being caught up in Homura's explosions. We know Ashy was healthy enough, after being bombed, to trick and partially subsume Homura, but we have no idea of Sayaka's condition after being bombed but before she got sucked back into Novella.
- Pronouns
- He
I wonder what would happen if a incubator was thrown into the novel would it in theory give her telepathy and more knowledge on what there doing or would be less useful then a paper umbrella in heavy downpour aka a pet rock it just takes up space thats it
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Are individual incubator bodies alive? Can she subsume inanimate objects?
Do they have souls? Can she subsume call-centre operators?
What exactly is a single body? Would she get a stuffed animal? A single agent without agency? Would she get a taste of the collective and keep slurping it up until she swallowed the whole thing or it were severed/she were stopped?
Is there a difference between living and dead 'cubators and how difficult would it be to catch a live one?
My gut is saying 50/50 odds they can be sub'ed and she would get a full thing, but a single 'cubator is going to read like a very boring magical girl.
... And now I am wondering what happens if she eats mundanes. I have a disturbing hunch that she can, but they wouldn't have the spiritual systems in place to generate nor remote-control a body. 50/50 they can even speak.
Xexilf
Oblivion Sempiternum Daemonis
If its fully part of the collective that could end very badly for her, since sheer scale. I doubt she could just keep absorbing.
Even assuming it/they dont take countermeasures, trying to swallow something metaphysically a billion times your size tends to end horribly.
Even assuming it/they dont take countermeasures, trying to swallow something metaphysically a billion times your size tends to end horribly.
Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
From what I've understood, Incubator bodies are essentially remote-controlled puppets so all we're likely to get out of subsuming one is a mindless body that can't leave the labyrinth. then again being able to talk would be neat, even IF we had to do it through one of those rats. Nonetheless, I don't think provoking the incubators by Nom'ing one of their puppets is a good idea, they strike me as the kind to decide we may have learned too much from our meal and introduce us to a few of their contractee's just to be safe.
Plus as has been said, if we do absorb the entire collective (somehow) then pulling the body out of Novella will result in who knows how many voices in our head all at once; Many many SAN checks ensue.
In short, so little to gain, so much to lose; Lets not find out how the Bunny-Cats taste.
Edit: I don't think it's a bad idea, just that it's slightly too risky for my tastes. If Kyubs or any other incubator volunteers astribute lunch then by all means, lets give it a try.
Plus as has been said, if we do absorb the entire collective (somehow) then pulling the body out of Novella will result in who knows how many voices in our head all at once; Many many SAN checks ensue.
In short, so little to gain, so much to lose; Lets not find out how the Bunny-Cats taste.
Edit: I don't think it's a bad idea, just that it's slightly too risky for my tastes. If Kyubs or any other incubator volunteers as
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- Pronouns
- He
fair enough but it was a idea
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
The idea that Incubators can have mental disorders seems to suggest that they have multiple minds, not just one overmind with superior multitasking ability. (In other words, an Incubator developing emotions doesn't mean the entire species has the same experience.)
Think of it almost like an ant colony. There are many of them, but they're all the same and they act as one. If one of them is killed or compromised, another one can quickly take its place. (Not that they can't also revive themselves by making new bodies.) But instead of relying on instinct, Incubators are mentally connected to share information and coordinate their actions.
They might just abandon their lost unit. But then again, they might not. Best not to find out, right?
That said, good luck approaching Kyubey when you're an unpredictable aspect of despair incarnate, let alone
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- Location
- Here
Possibly. It could also be that that's a belief they have about non-Incubator species they've found. "We consider emotions a mental disorder" could basically just be "we think you humans are crazy".
Or perhaps they're full overmind/hivemind things but range limits on their telepathy mean that the Incubator population of any given planet has a distinct mind – there's multiple minds among the whole species but no human is likely to ever meet any of the others.
Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
The structure of Incubator minds is a topic I'd love to speculate on, but we have basically no evidence in any direction as to their nature with the exception of Kyubs mentioning having a quota and how Madoka witching out would fulfil it. What we do know is if you kill an Incubator's body it simply gets replaced and remembers everything that happened before it died/was rendered non-functional.
This leads me to two possible conclusions:
1. Incubator bodies are remote-controlled drones. Killing one doesn't kill or harm the operator and they simply toss out a new one nearby.
2. Incubator bodies can transmit their memories back to the collective upon death and be replaced/cloned with perfect recall of all transpired events regardless of what killed them and how it did so.
I find option 1 to require the least assumptions personally, though I have no doubts the incubators are capable of option two, Clarketech and all that.
Nonetheless, all of this is just blind speculation ATM and however the 'replace killed bodies' thing works, I doubt potentially provoking the collective Via cabbit-munching will be worth the risks. Mostly because I doubt we'd live long enough to take advantage of whatever we gain from it.
Edit: replaced missing words/spell check
This leads me to two possible conclusions:
1. Incubator bodies are remote-controlled drones. Killing one doesn't kill or harm the operator and they simply toss out a new one nearby.
2. Incubator bodies can transmit their memories back to the collective upon death and be replaced/cloned with perfect recall of all transpired events regardless of what killed them and how it did so.
I find option 1 to require the least assumptions personally, though I have no doubts the incubators are capable of option two, Clarketech and all that.
Nonetheless, all of this is just blind speculation ATM and however the 'replace killed bodies' thing works, I doubt potentially provoking the collective Via cabbit-munching will be worth the risks. Mostly because I doubt we'd live long enough to take advantage of whatever we gain from it.
Edit: replaced missing words/spell check
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Uh... Concern:
1: We gain the traits of that which we Subsume.
2: We Subsumed Tira.
3: Tira was The Cheese!
1: We gain the traits of that which we Subsume.
2: We Subsumed Tira.
3: Tira was The Cheese!
Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
Eeeeeeh maybe no so worrysome. Sayaka her favorite human is still around, and she's still pretty weak from all that fighting.
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
Two mouths and counting, technically. She earned them by right of conquest.
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate that this only happened because Sayaka spared Charlotte? That would have been unthinkable for a magical girl under normal circumstances.
Which reminds me...
The story so far in a nutshell: A most unusual witch manages to drag half the cast kicking and screaming onto the super-secret pacifist route as the other half mostly watch in uncomprehending horror. The weird part is that she sometimes succeeds at saving their souls in the process.
Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
She has indeed subdued and suborned two Magical Girls, and she can indeed speak through their mouths.
That hasn't given her a mouth so she can't sing her verse of the song. The world shall never know the wonders of Ashtaroth's singing voice.
It's kinda like an inverse cosmic horror story, where meeting the Eldritch abomination Gives San points. It's still an Eldritch abomination though and it'll still steal your soul, bind you to its will and you will likely never be able to escape its influence, but hey! at least it won't (intentionally) make you kill your friends.
The camera pans across the back of the van, two rows of shoggoths, some of them manipulating indescribable paraphernalia. The van stops, the rear doors open, the shoogoths quickly file out, the camera follows. They gather a building, place a charge on its door, the door was Always Open so they charge in. The camera follows through hallways and passages, coming to an open room. The shoggoths are spreading out, shouting orders, there are people in robes chanting, a new shoggoth is on a stage before them, twitching, several of its forms converge upon a tome, the invaders react, directions warp, light screams, it is several seconds ago and the perp is being led into a companion cube, the unspeakable artefacts are being sealed as evidence, and the cultists are given doses of brain recombobulator and sent out the door with a "stay safe citizen".
SAN scores will no doubt rise from the experience, but I am not certain that they will return to their pre-induction levels. We can cure the addiction that Bake-you gave them, but, well, I doubt that Hitomi's SAN score survived unscathed.
Appletank
Acquire Cheese
>inanimate objects
*head creaking noise* Let's subsume a cow, and a truck for transport. Infinite Cheese Works.
*Charlotte RP Gang rise up*
Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
Cheese for the Cheese God!
Cake for the Cake throne!
... I can't think of a third verse. Suggestions?
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Facepalms for Sayaka!
Anyway, there was already some speculation about how to satisfy Charlotte's cheese cravings. The best solution is probably to subsume Rebecca and her merry band of shepherds.
Assemblance 2: Gratus Vanitas
Flairina
Least Omnipotent Goddess
- Location
- The next infinity over
> Bring Tira back out of Novella.
You suppose you have one obvious course of action, at least. If she's going to be along for this ride — which she will be, seeing as she has no real choice in the matter anymore — you should probably get Tira out here and explain both your and her circumstances to her.
Looking down at Novella, you flip your way to "Tira Narumi". Unlike Homura's, the page does indeed feel full, assuring you that subsuming her worked just fine.
<Sayaka, I'm going to bring Tira back out.>
Sayaka nods in acknowledgment, but says nothing, silently reaching up to heal the cut she got earlier. Hopefully this won't go the same way it initially did with her...
You tap Novella and begin to shrink downwards as Tira slowly emerges from the page. Your lower branches slip back into Tome, while the higher ones shorten, but ultimately remain. Through Sayaka, you can also see that your vortex doesn't change at all, remaining in its altered configuration. Seems your new look is here to stay.
Tira finishes rising from Novella, her outfit and limbs pristine once more. You hold back from immediately controlling her like you unintentionally did with Sayaka, allowing Tira to open her eyes on her own, which grants you yet another perspective. Her first act is to look down at herself, then move both of her hands in front of her face.
"I… is this...?"
She turns and sees you looming over her, causing her to yelp in surprise, a penbrush flashing into existence in her hand.
"You-!"
<Calm down, you're safe.> you say, hoping to head off any attempts at attacking you. <The fight's over; I'm not going to hurt you.>
Tira jolts, quickly looking from side to side, then back at you.
"Is that... you?" she asks. "I… assume that was telepathy, but I thought you claimed you could only use that if you…"
She raises a hand to her neck, but of course can't actually see if there's anything on it.
<No, I didn't witch kiss you. It shouldn't have done anything more than make a minor mental connection between us anyways, which you'd have known if Tomoe-san had let me finish speaking.>
"…oh." Tira says guiltily, dispelling her weapon. "Er, you look… rather different, by the way."
<Yeah, I got hair extensions.> you say, hoping the intended dryness of the response still comes across without sound. <Would you mind jumping down, please?>
Tira looks over the side of Novella with an uneasy expression.
"There… does not appear to be a floor…"
<No, there is one, you just can't- hang on, this might help.>
Tira's mouth falls open as you shift the appearance of the Canvas to that of an ancient open-air temple, encircled on all sides by steep, sloping hills covered in various bizarre-looking flora. The pillars of the temple are engraved with glowing symbols of no obvious origin, which seem to emit a low-but-constant hum into the surrounding air, and the ambient buzz of insects can be heard coming from the many nearby plants. Why do your illusions suddenly seem to have sound now? You don't get it.
<That any better?> you ask Tira, setting that question aside for the moment.
Still seeming rather shocked by the abrupt shift in her surroundings, Tira simply nods, not really looking at you. Hopping off Novella, she skips the middle step of Tome and just goes directly to the ground, landing with an unnatural grace and continuing to look around in awe.
"It's just an illusion, ya know."
Tira jumps again and spins to face Sayaka, only now seeming to realize the other girl is present.
"Oh, Miki-san." Tira breathes. "You are alright?"
"About as alright as you are, I guess." Sayaka says tiredly. "Welcome to the club by the way."
"The… club?" Tira repeats, uncomprehending. "I do not understand. There are a great many things I do not understand right now, in fact. What happened to me? Are we still in the labyrinth? How am I not…?"
She looks down at her right arm, slowly flexing the fingers and clutching it with her left hand, as if to reassure herself it's real. Oh boy, how to go about explaining this...
<First of all, yes, we're still in my barrier — labyrinth, barrier, whatever — and this is indeed just an illusion.> you start. <Glad you like it. As for what happened to you, here's the short version: while you were fighting me, you got attacked and very nearly killed by Charlotte, another witch currently inhabiting the barrier. Sayaka and I managed to save you, but you were pretty much out of it from shock, and your soul gem was on the verge of total corruption, so I did the same thing I did with Sayaka and subsumed you. I'm sorry if you're unhappy about that, but it was... preferable to the alternative.>
You deliberately leave what happened to Mami in the in-between out of your summary. You'll have to tell Tira at some point, but you think you'll save it for when you're sure she's not going to completely lose it like Sayaka did.
"That is... quite a lot to take in." Tira says after taking a few moments to process. "Forgive me for doubting you, but how exactly did you manage to save me? I remember the other witch… swallowing me, but after that…"
She trails off again, a violent shudder running through her body.
<I... basically used the Heimlich Maneuver on Charlotte to force her to choke you back up.> you explain, only now realizing just how ridiculous that sounds. <Sayaka fixed your limbs part of the way, and subsuming you seems to have fixed the rest. It also stopped your soul gem from fully corrupting, though I'm afraid it's kind of stuck inside of me now.>
Might as well just tell her now, before she notices herself.
Tira blinks, then brings her hand up to her head and slips it beneath the brim of her hat, feeling nothing there besides the alice band it's attached to.
"My… soul gem…"
<Yeah, sorry about that.> you apologize. <On the plus side, you shouldn't have to worry about cleaning it anymore, at least.>
Tira's neck snaps upwards at a speed fast enough to give a normal person whiplash.
"What do you mean by that?" she asks, a sudden intensity suffusing her voice.
<I… mean that I'm pretty sure I passively absorb the corruption from Sayaka's soul gem,> you answer, slightly taken aback, <and I'm assuming the same should apply to you now, so…>
Tira's expression changes again, slowly shifting to one of hope.
"Then, are- are you saying that I no longer need to be a magical girl?" she asks, almost disbelievingly.
Huh?
<What do you mean?>
"I mean that I- that this is- that-"
Tira pauses, stopping for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing.
"I have regretted having accepted Kyubey's deal since the very day I made it." she says. "I am tired of fighting. Tired of being scared; of having to hunt witches; of so often almost dying… and of having no other choice but to continue, lest my soul gem run over with impurities. If you are telling me that is no longer a concern, I will gladly, wholeheartedly give this life up."
...oh. Now you see.
<I mean, you're still technically a magical girl,> you clarify, <but you shouldn't need grief seeds anymore, no.>
There's a short pause, before Tira suddenly breaks out into stunned, disbelieving laughter. It soon turns increasingly joyous, and a smile wide enough to make her cheeks hurt stretches across the girl's face, as if she was just told the most fantastic news of her life.
<…well, she's certainly taking this better than expected.> you say to Sayaka as she watches Tira celebrate, her arms crossed tightly beneath her chest. <Also, I just realized how confusing this must be to listen to when you can't hear my half of the conversation. Sorry Sayaka, wasn't trying to leave you out.>
"I heard it all just fine." Sayaka says flatly.
Huh. Really? You weren't directing any of that at her intentionally. You guess your telepathy must just automatically go out to both of them then? Strange…
After a little while, Tira finally seems to come down enough from her ecstatic high to talk again, wiping away happy tears as she looks up at you.
"I suppose I owe you quite the apology." she says, still smiling. "If Tomoe-san had not made me promise I would assist her if she deemed it necessary, I would never have attacked you, at least not at that particular juncture. I cannot truly claim to be regretful however, with what you have given me as a result. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you… thank you…"
<Um. You're welcome, I guess.> you awkwardly reply. <But… there's still a problem.>
Tira's smile falters slightly. "What?"
<You remember how I said Sayaka can't really leave?> you ask. <The same thing kind of applies to you, now.>
"Meaning, if you get too far away from her, you'll keel over like an empty shell." Sayaka cuts in. "You pass out on the spot until she gets near enough for you to wake up again."
"Then, in other words… I am trapped here?" Tira asks.
<We're working on a solution.> you remind her. <It also doesn't seem to apply inside my barrier, and I can still let you outside as long as you stay within 100 meters of it. But... for now, at least, yes. You're stuck with me.>
You wait nervously as Tira processes that, hoping enough of her previous joy remains to keep her from exploding in anger or grief. You've had quite enough of that for one day, thanks.
"Well," Tira says about half a minute later, "that is a somewhat less desirable state of affairs then, but it is still likely an improvement over the life I have been living as of late."
...oh thank goodness.
Sayaka looks over at Tira with a slightly incredulous expression, but remains quiet.
"I-" Tira starts, before pausing and looking up at you. "-forgive me, what was your name again?"
<Ashtaroth.>
"...right. I will try to keep that in mind if I am going to be here for the foreseeable future." Tira says. "Might I ask a few questions of you?"
<Sure thing.>
Tira nods appreciatively. "First, could you explain in more detail precisely why I cannot leave? Or rather, why I would 'keel over' if I attempted to do so? I do not necessarily think you are lying, but an explanation as to why such a thing would happen would be appreciated."
You hesitate. Tira's taking this well so far — almost absurdly so, honestly — but that doesn't mean that can't change in an instant. Still, you don't really have an excuse not to answer her, and now that she's subsumed you shouldn't be risking her becoming a witch, so…
<It's because your soul gem is your actual soul.> you relent. <If it gets too far away from you, your body ceases to function.>
"I am already aware of the true nature of my soul gem." Tira says, to your considerable surprise. "However, I know nothing of it needing to remain within a certain proximity to me. Why would that be a factor?"
<I'm… not sure.> you say, feeling increasingly on the back foot of this conversation. <It seems to just be a sort of inherent limit. So far as I'm aware, it works that way for all magical girls, even when I'm not involved.>
Tira closes her eyes. "Another thing he failed to inform me of, then…" she sighs, shaking her head for a moment before looking back up at you. "A subject for another time. Second, I take it you can assume control of me, the same way you did earlier with…?"
She glances over at Sayaka. You nod Tira's head for her, then wave her right arm around to further demonstrate.
<I can.> you confirm. <I assume that you'd rather I not do that though, so I'll try to avoid it outside of emergencies.>
You release Tira's arm, and she draws it back to herself, clutching the limb tightly to her chest. "I would prefer you refrain from doing that as much as possible, yes." she says with a small shiver. "That aside, does being in this state with you have any other effects I should know about?"
You think about it for a moment. <Well, I have control of when you transform and detransform now, but I can do that on request easily enough. You've also probably been cut off from Kyubey's telepathy network, same as Sayaka... though, you should be able to talk to me that way now, and probably Sayaka too? Give it a quick try, I'm not actually sure.>
Tira nods again. <Can you hear this?>
<Loud and clear. Sayaka?>
"Yeah, I heard it too." Sayaka confirms without much apparent interest. <And you can both hear this, I'm guessing?>
"Indeed." Tira replies.
<Good, as expected then.> you say. <Other than that... I can't really think of anything you don't already know about.>
Tira appears relieved. "That does not seem so awful then. Inconvenient, but not terribly so."
She pauses for a moment, then continues. "On that note... you claimed that you were intending on fixing this, correct?"
You nod the top of your stalk in confirmation, and Tira hums. "As I would prefer not to have to live out the rest of my life in your labyrinth, I suppose I must support that. However, given how… shall we say, 'unique' this situation appears to be, I cannot help but wonder exactly how you are planning on remedying it?"
A valid question, and one you wish you had a better answer for.
<Well, Plan A was to get someone to make a wish to do it.> you explain. <In fact, that was pretty much what I was going to ask Kaname-san to do, though stumbling across her was admittedly more coincidence than intention. Granted, I'm not entirely sure that would even work, or if Kyubey would allow a wish like that to begin with, but even if not, I kind of figure my best bet at reversing this would still be to…>
You trail off, not certain you should continue that sentence the way you were initially intending. Tira notices your sudden silence however, and quickly speaks up.
"At the meeting, you were concerned about speaking to us with complete candor due to Tomoe-san's and my own lack of grief seeds, correct?" she asks.
<Yes.> you reply. <Why?>
"Because from what you have said, that is no longer an issue for me." Tira says. "I am free to actually feel things again without having to worry about the repercussions, and as such, am capable of coping with bad news. If there is something you do not wish to say because you worry how I will react to it, you need not be."
…my my but this girl is perceptive. And rather persuasive as well. You'll have to rip the bandage off sooner or later anyways, you suppose.
<Fair enough.> you reply. <Then, as I was saying… I kind of figure my best bet at reversing this would still be to become human again, whether through a wish, or by some other method.>
You stop, awaiting Tira's reaction. Sayaka looks away, apparently not thrilled by the reminder of what witches really are.
"Human… again?" Tira repeats, slowly sounding out the words. "Then… that can only mean…"
She pauses, as if searching your statement for any other possible meaning, then takes in another long, deep breath and resumes.
"I suspect I already know the answer to this," Tira says, "but I must ask: did you used to be a magical girl?"
<...yes.> you solemnly confirm. <I did. As did many other witches, before their soul gems were overcome by corruption. Not all of them are former magical girls — I imagine most are just familiars that grew into copies of the original. But those originals…>
You trail off, but Tira seems to get the idea anyways. Once again, she's taking it far better than you'd ever have expected — though clearly not completely unperturbed by this information, rather than being utterly horrified, she seems more simply resigned, as if she'd already at least partially comes to grips with this.
"Then, what it referred to truly was…" she whispers to herself, perhaps not having realized you can hear through her now, before turning back to you and steeling her expression.
"I have only one remaining question then." she says. "I could not help but notice you did not mention what happened to Tomoe-san in your earlier summation of events. Is that… because…"
<…it was because after seeing you get eaten by Charlotte, her soul gem fully corrupted, and she turned into a witch.> you finish for her. <She's currently elsewhere in the barrier.>
Tira simply stares at you for a moment, then lowers her head, her gaze dropping to her feet.
"…ah."
"'…ah?'" Sayaka repeats a few seconds later. "That's it?! You sure are taking this awfully well — did you care about Mami-san at all?!"
"It is not that I do not care." Tira says quietly, not looking up. "It is just that it feels somewhat… distant. I cut ties with Tomoe-san several months previous, and yesterday was the first time we had truly even spoken since then. She believed that I abandoned her, and… I suppose I did."
She swallows down a lump that you feel forming in her throat. "I will never be able to make up for that, now…"
"How about the fact that witches used to be magical girls?" Sayaka continues, apparently not convinced. "You don't seem all that broken up about it! You don't even seem surprised!"
Tira shakes her head. "That is because I am not. In fact, I had already suspected as much."
That manages to catch both you and Sayaka off guard.
"Wait, seriously?!" Sayaka cries, seeming to forget her anger for a moment.
Tira nods. "Yes. Part of why I sought to meet with Ashtaroth-san again was actually for the express purpose of confirming that theory." she explains. "I did not always suspect, but there was… a rumor…"
<-wait, rumors?> you interrupt. <What rumors?>
"Just the one, really." Tira replies. "It was first sent out in a mass text message, and circulated around my school for some time after. I was not certain it was even about magical girls at first, but the details seemed to match up too well to be entirely coincidental, and while I could hardly put a great deal of faith in mere gossip…"
She raises her head and looks up at you again, her gaze roaming around the various parts of your body. "…it seems that it was quite correct."
Well, that's odd. You're aware you're getting slightly distracted, but you rather want to hear more about this.
<What did this rumor say, exactly?> you ask.
Tira doesn't seem entirely sure why you're asking, but answers all the same. "I never received the text myself, so I am afraid I cannot remember the exact wording, but from what I recall the rumor obliquely referred to how a small creature may one day appear to you and offer you your heart's desire. It went on however to say that this was a trick, and that anyone who accepted the offer would soon find themselves drowning in despair, until the darkness of their soul was… 'unleashed', I believe was how it was phrased."
You raise a ribbon to where your chin would normally be in contemplation. Interesting... is someone out there attempting to subtly spread word of the truth of the magical girl system? Couched in very vague terms, yes, but for something like that to proliferate among the general populace… you wonder if Kyubey knows.
"Excuse me, but should we not be having this conversation with Kaname-san and Shizuki-san present as well?" Tira asks nervously. "They are doubtless quite concerned at this point, and if Kyubey has noticed, he will likely take advantage of that to urge Kaname-san into making a contract."
Sayaka stiffens, while you suddenly realize you haven't explained your current predicament to Tira yet.
<You're right, but I'm not sure there's much we can do about it even if he does.> you reply. <Right after the fight with you and Tomoe-san ended, another magical girl named Homura showed up out of nowhere and picked up where you left off. She had some sort of instant teleportation magic that made her pretty much impossible to fight, and Sayaka and I almost died multiple times over. We actually almost managed to win anyways, but before we could, Homura escaped by teleporting my entire barrier back to where I first turned into a witch. We're currently near Sengeitsu City, if you know where that is.>
Tira blinks up at you, looking rather bewildered by that influx of information. You suppose you can't really blame her, seeing as she's hearing this all after the fact. Maybe a visual aid will help?
You change your illusion to resemble your current view of the outside. Sayaka and Tira both yelp upon suddenly finding themselves "standing" on thin air, at least a couple thousand feet off the ground.
<This is where we are at the moment.> you say. <As you can see, we're not exactly in Mitakihara anymore.>
"That's nice and all, but for like the third or fourth thing now, maybe say something before- oh, forget it." Sayaka says, giving up halfway through her complaint. "More importantly, I hadn't even thought about it, but Narumi here is right! We have to at least warn Madoka not to make a wish!"
<Calm, Sayaka.> you reply, reverting your illusion to its previous state as you feel Tira start getting light-headed. <She's not in danger right now, remember?>
"Just because she isn't right now doesn't mean she won't be later!" Sayaka counters. "You didn't let me say anything to Madoka before, so she still doesn't know just how bad an idea it is! We need to get back to her ASAP!"
<'ASAP' would still be multiple hours from now.> you remind her.
"Can we at least go somewhere with a phone then?!"
"Do you not have a cell phone?" Tira asks slowly, her dizziness abating with the return of the floor.
Sayaka turns to her and gives her a slight glare. "Not with me, no. Why, do you?"
"Yes." Tira answers simply. "In my normal clothes, at least."
Sayaka stares at her for a moment, as though wondering if the other girl is just joking, before quickly rallying. "C-can I borrow it then? Please?!"
Tira hesitates for a long moment, as if having some sort of internal struggle, but eventually nods. "...yes. Just... be careful with it."
You take it upon yourself to de-transform her upon hearing that, leaving Tira back in the elegant blouse and skirt combo she was wearing at the meeting. She blinks for a moment at finding herself back in plainclothes, then reaches into the small handbag looped over her shoulder and pulls out a rather expensive-looking phone, unlocking and holding it out to Sayaka with clear trepidation in her movements.
Sayaka pays no mind to this, quickly thanking Tira before taking the phone and rapidly dialing in an unfamiliar number, which you can only assume to be Madoka's. You're unsure at first whether or not the phone will even work in your barrier, but after a moment the call connects. The other end rings… and rings… and rings…
"Um… hello?"
"Madoka! It's-"
"You've reached the phone number of Madoka Kaname. I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now, but if you leave a quick message, I promise I'll call you back as soon as I can!"
"Oh come on, pick up Madoka!"
Sayaka hangs up and redials, but only ends up back at the voicemail message again. Becoming increasingly tense, she tries another number, and gets a very similar recording from Hitomi.
"Why is no one answering?!" Sayaka almost screams.
"Please do not break my phone." Tira says, looking like she's caught between a glare and a wince.
Realizing the vice-like grip she's holding the other girl's property with, Sayaka loosens her hands and dials Madoka's number again. This time, when the message plays, Sayaka waits until it ends so she can leave a message of her own.
"Madoka, it's me!" Sayaka exclaims as soon as the tone goes off. "I don't know why you can't pick up your phone right now, but listen! Whatever you do, stay away from the transfer student, and DO NOT make a contract! Kyubey lied about- about everything! I'm still alive, but things have somehow gotten even worse, and we're in a completely different city now, and- arrrrrgh, there's too much for me to explain over a voicemail message! Just, call me back at this number, okay?!"
Sayaka hangs up, looking no less frustrated than before, and reluctantly hands Tira her phone back. As she does, you notice that the time display currently reads a half-hour past noon, and do a mental double take. That... can't be right, can it? You showed up at Hitomi's house first thing in the morning, and even between all the fighting that happened afterwards, it can't have been more than an hour since then. Maybe Tira's phone is set to the wrong timezone?
"Something's wrong." Sayaka says before you can think too much about it, anxiously pacing in a small circle. "I'm still not feeling anything with my… knight sense, or whatever you're calling it, but could you hurry up with your 'planning' so we can get back to Mitakihara?"
…this is going to be contentious, but…
<Honestly Sayaka, I'd rather not go back to Mitakihara at all.>
Sayaka abruptly stops pacing and rounds on you, shocked. "What?! I thought you said you were going to try to have Madoka make a wish to fix all this!"
<Well, you just told her not to make a contract under any circumstances, and if we're not doing that, then there isn't really much reason to return.>
"Of course I don't want Madoka to make a contract!" Sayaka exclaims. "Look what happened to me! What happened to Mami-san! But that doesn't mean we have to completely leave the city!"
<We've already left,> you point out, letting a little annoyance seep into your mental text, <if not under our own power, and it's possibly the one good thing to have come out of this disaster of a morning thus far. I only went to Mitakihara to begin with because I needed to be in a city to accomplish pretty much anything on my to-do list, and I figured it was my safest option since I was told it only had one magical girl. Apparently I was misinformed however, since in less than 48 hours of being there, I ran into FOUR of them, all of whom unsurprisingly tried to kill me.>
"I take it I am being included in that count?" Tira asks sheepishly. "For what it is worth, I am actually from Kazamino."
<…um, good to know I guess,> you say, uncertain how to kindly tell Tira that's worth pretty much nothing, <but that doesn't actually make the prospect of going back to Mitakihara any more appealing. I accomplished pretty much nothing I actually intended to do there, almost died five or six separate times, and the magical girl who came closest to succeeding on that front is presumably still hanging around the place, so no, I'm not particularly keen on the idea of strolling right back into that. Frankly, I'd prefer to head into Sengeitsu — we're already right next to it, and even if only by comparison, I'm willing to bet it would be a LOT less dangerous.>
It helps that, coming from the city yourself, you already know at least generally what places you'd need to steer clear of to avoid most of the local magical girls. Hirako might still be an issue, but you're a lot less worried about instantly dying to her now than you were when you first "hatched".
"But what about school?!" Sayaka protests. "My friends?! My parents?! I can't just up and abandon everything!"
<All of those would still be problems whether we went back to Mitakihara or not.> you reply. <I'm sorry Sayaka, but my life cannot literally revolve around yours, especially when by doing so it's entirely possible I won't have a life to live for much longer.>
You turn towards Tira. <The same goes for you, I'm afraid.>
Tira inclines her head, her eyes lidding in what seems like either sorrow or regret. "I understand that. I cannot claim to be thankful for it, but it impacts me to a lesser degree — I rarely see my direct family to begin with, and have no real friends to speak of. As for school… well, it is doubtful anyone there is likely to miss me."
...convenient as that is, that was a much more depressing response than you were expecting.
"I- I have to at least let my mom and dad know what's going on though!" Sayaka tries.
<You don't have to be in the city to do that, you can just call them and explain->
"Like they're going to believe any of this from over the phone?!" Sayaka snaps. "They'll think I've been kidnapped!"
<...I mean, that's a rather uncharitable way of looking at it, but I guess I can't say it's entirely inaccurate->
"NOT helping!" Sayaka shouts. "Look, I- I-!"
She suddenly stops and lets out a long, shuddering sigh. Some of the desperation seems to leak out of her expression in the process, though only to be replaced by resignation.
"...I know I can't live a normal life anymore." Sayaka admits, her head facing the floor. "Kyubey ruined any chance of that for me, even before you ate my soul gem. But I won't just let the people I care about think I suddenly vanished off the face of the Earth, and leave everyone wondering what happened to me. That's cruel, and completely unfair to them."
Sayaka slowly raises her head to look up at you again, her eyes hardening with resolve. "If you meant anything you said yesterday about caring about what happens to me, then at least let me talk to them in person. They deserve that much."
...dang it. Why did she have to start talking calmly again? She's making it sound so reasonable…
"Excuse me?" Tira says, cutting through the tension between you and Sayaka. "If I might interrupt for a moment... you claimed that there were other things you were trying to accomplish in Mitakihara, correct? What else were you intending to do there beyond what you have already said?"
You look over at her, not entirely sure where she's going with this.
<I was trying to find out if there were any sapient witches besides myself.> you explain. <I kind of figured that if I found any others, I could... well, I don't know. I guess team up with them, or ask them for advice, or something along those lines? To be honest, it's more that I just want to know if I'm the only one or not.>
It sounds kind of trivial when you put it like that, but it's important to you nonetheless.
<I'm also missing pretty much all of my memories prior to becoming a magical girl, so I'd like to get those back if at all possible-> you continue, ignoring Sayaka's slightly startled reaction to that, <-and I had a few vague thoughts about trying to improve the magical girl system as a whole, but since you two are now a factor, I guess I'm prioritizing finding a way back to humanity before anything else.>
Honestly, that's probably for the best anyways. Yes, there are perks to your current state of being, but you've also been attacked by five different magical girls in less than two days. If you don't make un-witching yourself your primary goal, you might not survive long enough to accomplish any of the others… besides, this sort of ties into getting your memories back anyways, right? You'd kind of hope that the two go hand in hand.
"I see." Tira says thoughtfully. "In that case, perhaps a compromise could be reached?"
<Hmm? How so?>
"I cannot be certain, but I may know of another 'sapient' witch." Tira replies.
Ahhh, that's right — after everything that happened yesterday, you'd almost forgotten that interesting little comment Tira made the first time you ran into her.
<This would be the "skull witch" I remember you mentioning?> you ask.
"Yes." Tira confirms. "She was what first made me suspect exactly what the rumor I had heard might be alluding to. Her intelligence was less clear cut than yours, but it- er, she? seemed similarly capable of communicating through writing... though, she also exploited my surprise at this to grievously injure me, and was far more hostile in general."
Huh... well, that's definitely interesting, especially given Saar and Charlotte's seeming inability to even recognize written language. This is exactly the sort of lead you would have liked to have yesterday evening. That being said...
<I appreciate you sharing that, but I don't really see how this is related to the current topic.>
"I encountered that witch in Kazamino." Tira elaborates. "It has been over a week since then, so I cannot be certain that none of the city's other magical girls have found and killed her, but considering her tactical ability and relatively high strength, I would think it entirely possible she is still alive. If you still intend to seek other sapient witches, perhaps we can head there and attempt to locate her? Kazamino also directly borders Mitakihara, so if Miki-san wishes to explain her circumstances in person, her parents should be able to meet up with her easily enough without anyone needing to set foot in Mitakihara itself."
You consider the idea. That's… tempting, but even if it's technically not the same city, Kazamino still strikes you as too close to Mitakihara for comfort. Besides, didn't you literally just resolve to work on un-witching yourself first? Your witch sapience investigation can wait... although, the longer you take to get around to it, the more chance this other witch has of just being killed before you can find her, if she hasn't been already. And assuming you manage to avoid subsuming anyone else, this is probably the only lead you're likely to get on this subject for the forseeable future.
…why does this have to be such a frustrating decision?
[-] Capitulate to Sayaka's plea and go back to Mitakihara.
[-] Refuse Sayaka's plea and head into Sengeitsu.
[-] Compromise by accepting Tira's suggestion to go to Kazamino.
[-] Write in.
You suppose you have one obvious course of action, at least. If she's going to be along for this ride — which she will be, seeing as she has no real choice in the matter anymore — you should probably get Tira out here and explain both your and her circumstances to her.
Looking down at Novella, you flip your way to "Tira Narumi". Unlike Homura's, the page does indeed feel full, assuring you that subsuming her worked just fine.
<Sayaka, I'm going to bring Tira back out.>
Sayaka nods in acknowledgment, but says nothing, silently reaching up to heal the cut she got earlier. Hopefully this won't go the same way it initially did with her...
You tap Novella and begin to shrink downwards as Tira slowly emerges from the page. Your lower branches slip back into Tome, while the higher ones shorten, but ultimately remain. Through Sayaka, you can also see that your vortex doesn't change at all, remaining in its altered configuration. Seems your new look is here to stay.
Tira finishes rising from Novella, her outfit and limbs pristine once more. You hold back from immediately controlling her like you unintentionally did with Sayaka, allowing Tira to open her eyes on her own, which grants you yet another perspective. Her first act is to look down at herself, then move both of her hands in front of her face.
"I… is this...?"
She turns and sees you looming over her, causing her to yelp in surprise, a penbrush flashing into existence in her hand.
"You-!"
<Calm down, you're safe.> you say, hoping to head off any attempts at attacking you. <The fight's over; I'm not going to hurt you.>
Tira jolts, quickly looking from side to side, then back at you.
"Is that... you?" she asks. "I… assume that was telepathy, but I thought you claimed you could only use that if you…"
She raises a hand to her neck, but of course can't actually see if there's anything on it.
<No, I didn't witch kiss you. It shouldn't have done anything more than make a minor mental connection between us anyways, which you'd have known if Tomoe-san had let me finish speaking.>
"…oh." Tira says guiltily, dispelling her weapon. "Er, you look… rather different, by the way."
<Yeah, I got hair extensions.> you say, hoping the intended dryness of the response still comes across without sound. <Would you mind jumping down, please?>
Tira looks over the side of Novella with an uneasy expression.
"There… does not appear to be a floor…"
<No, there is one, you just can't- hang on, this might help.>
Tira's mouth falls open as you shift the appearance of the Canvas to that of an ancient open-air temple, encircled on all sides by steep, sloping hills covered in various bizarre-looking flora. The pillars of the temple are engraved with glowing symbols of no obvious origin, which seem to emit a low-but-constant hum into the surrounding air, and the ambient buzz of insects can be heard coming from the many nearby plants. Why do your illusions suddenly seem to have sound now? You don't get it.
<That any better?> you ask Tira, setting that question aside for the moment.
Still seeming rather shocked by the abrupt shift in her surroundings, Tira simply nods, not really looking at you. Hopping off Novella, she skips the middle step of Tome and just goes directly to the ground, landing with an unnatural grace and continuing to look around in awe.
"It's just an illusion, ya know."
Tira jumps again and spins to face Sayaka, only now seeming to realize the other girl is present.
"Oh, Miki-san." Tira breathes. "You are alright?"
"About as alright as you are, I guess." Sayaka says tiredly. "Welcome to the club by the way."
"The… club?" Tira repeats, uncomprehending. "I do not understand. There are a great many things I do not understand right now, in fact. What happened to me? Are we still in the labyrinth? How am I not…?"
She looks down at her right arm, slowly flexing the fingers and clutching it with her left hand, as if to reassure herself it's real. Oh boy, how to go about explaining this...
<First of all, yes, we're still in my barrier — labyrinth, barrier, whatever — and this is indeed just an illusion.> you start. <Glad you like it. As for what happened to you, here's the short version: while you were fighting me, you got attacked and very nearly killed by Charlotte, another witch currently inhabiting the barrier. Sayaka and I managed to save you, but you were pretty much out of it from shock, and your soul gem was on the verge of total corruption, so I did the same thing I did with Sayaka and subsumed you. I'm sorry if you're unhappy about that, but it was... preferable to the alternative.>
You deliberately leave what happened to Mami in the in-between out of your summary. You'll have to tell Tira at some point, but you think you'll save it for when you're sure she's not going to completely lose it like Sayaka did.
"That is... quite a lot to take in." Tira says after taking a few moments to process. "Forgive me for doubting you, but how exactly did you manage to save me? I remember the other witch… swallowing me, but after that…"
She trails off again, a violent shudder running through her body.
<I... basically used the Heimlich Maneuver on Charlotte to force her to choke you back up.> you explain, only now realizing just how ridiculous that sounds. <Sayaka fixed your limbs part of the way, and subsuming you seems to have fixed the rest. It also stopped your soul gem from fully corrupting, though I'm afraid it's kind of stuck inside of me now.>
Might as well just tell her now, before she notices herself.
Tira blinks, then brings her hand up to her head and slips it beneath the brim of her hat, feeling nothing there besides the alice band it's attached to.
"My… soul gem…"
<Yeah, sorry about that.> you apologize. <On the plus side, you shouldn't have to worry about cleaning it anymore, at least.>
Tira's neck snaps upwards at a speed fast enough to give a normal person whiplash.
"What do you mean by that?" she asks, a sudden intensity suffusing her voice.
<I… mean that I'm pretty sure I passively absorb the corruption from Sayaka's soul gem,> you answer, slightly taken aback, <and I'm assuming the same should apply to you now, so…>
Tira's expression changes again, slowly shifting to one of hope.
"Then, are- are you saying that I no longer need to be a magical girl?" she asks, almost disbelievingly.
Huh?
<What do you mean?>
"I mean that I- that this is- that-"
Tira pauses, stopping for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing.
"I have regretted having accepted Kyubey's deal since the very day I made it." she says. "I am tired of fighting. Tired of being scared; of having to hunt witches; of so often almost dying… and of having no other choice but to continue, lest my soul gem run over with impurities. If you are telling me that is no longer a concern, I will gladly, wholeheartedly give this life up."
...oh. Now you see.
<I mean, you're still technically a magical girl,> you clarify, <but you shouldn't need grief seeds anymore, no.>
There's a short pause, before Tira suddenly breaks out into stunned, disbelieving laughter. It soon turns increasingly joyous, and a smile wide enough to make her cheeks hurt stretches across the girl's face, as if she was just told the most fantastic news of her life.
<…well, she's certainly taking this better than expected.> you say to Sayaka as she watches Tira celebrate, her arms crossed tightly beneath her chest. <Also, I just realized how confusing this must be to listen to when you can't hear my half of the conversation. Sorry Sayaka, wasn't trying to leave you out.>
"I heard it all just fine." Sayaka says flatly.
Huh. Really? You weren't directing any of that at her intentionally. You guess your telepathy must just automatically go out to both of them then? Strange…
After a little while, Tira finally seems to come down enough from her ecstatic high to talk again, wiping away happy tears as she looks up at you.
"I suppose I owe you quite the apology." she says, still smiling. "If Tomoe-san had not made me promise I would assist her if she deemed it necessary, I would never have attacked you, at least not at that particular juncture. I cannot truly claim to be regretful however, with what you have given me as a result. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you… thank you…"
<Um. You're welcome, I guess.> you awkwardly reply. <But… there's still a problem.>
Tira's smile falters slightly. "What?"
<You remember how I said Sayaka can't really leave?> you ask. <The same thing kind of applies to you, now.>
"Meaning, if you get too far away from her, you'll keel over like an empty shell." Sayaka cuts in. "You pass out on the spot until she gets near enough for you to wake up again."
"Then, in other words… I am trapped here?" Tira asks.
<We're working on a solution.> you remind her. <It also doesn't seem to apply inside my barrier, and I can still let you outside as long as you stay within 100 meters of it. But... for now, at least, yes. You're stuck with me.>
You wait nervously as Tira processes that, hoping enough of her previous joy remains to keep her from exploding in anger or grief. You've had quite enough of that for one day, thanks.
"Well," Tira says about half a minute later, "that is a somewhat less desirable state of affairs then, but it is still likely an improvement over the life I have been living as of late."
...oh thank goodness.
Sayaka looks over at Tira with a slightly incredulous expression, but remains quiet.
"I-" Tira starts, before pausing and looking up at you. "-forgive me, what was your name again?"
<Ashtaroth.>
"...right. I will try to keep that in mind if I am going to be here for the foreseeable future." Tira says. "Might I ask a few questions of you?"
<Sure thing.>
Tira nods appreciatively. "First, could you explain in more detail precisely why I cannot leave? Or rather, why I would 'keel over' if I attempted to do so? I do not necessarily think you are lying, but an explanation as to why such a thing would happen would be appreciated."
You hesitate. Tira's taking this well so far — almost absurdly so, honestly — but that doesn't mean that can't change in an instant. Still, you don't really have an excuse not to answer her, and now that she's subsumed you shouldn't be risking her becoming a witch, so…
<It's because your soul gem is your actual soul.> you relent. <If it gets too far away from you, your body ceases to function.>
"I am already aware of the true nature of my soul gem." Tira says, to your considerable surprise. "However, I know nothing of it needing to remain within a certain proximity to me. Why would that be a factor?"
<I'm… not sure.> you say, feeling increasingly on the back foot of this conversation. <It seems to just be a sort of inherent limit. So far as I'm aware, it works that way for all magical girls, even when I'm not involved.>
Tira closes her eyes. "Another thing he failed to inform me of, then…" she sighs, shaking her head for a moment before looking back up at you. "A subject for another time. Second, I take it you can assume control of me, the same way you did earlier with…?"
She glances over at Sayaka. You nod Tira's head for her, then wave her right arm around to further demonstrate.
<I can.> you confirm. <I assume that you'd rather I not do that though, so I'll try to avoid it outside of emergencies.>
You release Tira's arm, and she draws it back to herself, clutching the limb tightly to her chest. "I would prefer you refrain from doing that as much as possible, yes." she says with a small shiver. "That aside, does being in this state with you have any other effects I should know about?"
You think about it for a moment. <Well, I have control of when you transform and detransform now, but I can do that on request easily enough. You've also probably been cut off from Kyubey's telepathy network, same as Sayaka... though, you should be able to talk to me that way now, and probably Sayaka too? Give it a quick try, I'm not actually sure.>
Tira nods again. <Can you hear this?>
<Loud and clear. Sayaka?>
"Yeah, I heard it too." Sayaka confirms without much apparent interest. <And you can both hear this, I'm guessing?>
"Indeed." Tira replies.
<Good, as expected then.> you say. <Other than that... I can't really think of anything you don't already know about.>
Tira appears relieved. "That does not seem so awful then. Inconvenient, but not terribly so."
She pauses for a moment, then continues. "On that note... you claimed that you were intending on fixing this, correct?"
You nod the top of your stalk in confirmation, and Tira hums. "As I would prefer not to have to live out the rest of my life in your labyrinth, I suppose I must support that. However, given how… shall we say, 'unique' this situation appears to be, I cannot help but wonder exactly how you are planning on remedying it?"
A valid question, and one you wish you had a better answer for.
<Well, Plan A was to get someone to make a wish to do it.> you explain. <In fact, that was pretty much what I was going to ask Kaname-san to do, though stumbling across her was admittedly more coincidence than intention. Granted, I'm not entirely sure that would even work, or if Kyubey would allow a wish like that to begin with, but even if not, I kind of figure my best bet at reversing this would still be to…>
You trail off, not certain you should continue that sentence the way you were initially intending. Tira notices your sudden silence however, and quickly speaks up.
"At the meeting, you were concerned about speaking to us with complete candor due to Tomoe-san's and my own lack of grief seeds, correct?" she asks.
<Yes.> you reply. <Why?>
"Because from what you have said, that is no longer an issue for me." Tira says. "I am free to actually feel things again without having to worry about the repercussions, and as such, am capable of coping with bad news. If there is something you do not wish to say because you worry how I will react to it, you need not be."
…my my but this girl is perceptive. And rather persuasive as well. You'll have to rip the bandage off sooner or later anyways, you suppose.
<Fair enough.> you reply. <Then, as I was saying… I kind of figure my best bet at reversing this would still be to become human again, whether through a wish, or by some other method.>
You stop, awaiting Tira's reaction. Sayaka looks away, apparently not thrilled by the reminder of what witches really are.
"Human… again?" Tira repeats, slowly sounding out the words. "Then… that can only mean…"
She pauses, as if searching your statement for any other possible meaning, then takes in another long, deep breath and resumes.
"I suspect I already know the answer to this," Tira says, "but I must ask: did you used to be a magical girl?"
<...yes.> you solemnly confirm. <I did. As did many other witches, before their soul gems were overcome by corruption. Not all of them are former magical girls — I imagine most are just familiars that grew into copies of the original. But those originals…>
You trail off, but Tira seems to get the idea anyways. Once again, she's taking it far better than you'd ever have expected — though clearly not completely unperturbed by this information, rather than being utterly horrified, she seems more simply resigned, as if she'd already at least partially comes to grips with this.
"Then, what it referred to truly was…" she whispers to herself, perhaps not having realized you can hear through her now, before turning back to you and steeling her expression.
"I have only one remaining question then." she says. "I could not help but notice you did not mention what happened to Tomoe-san in your earlier summation of events. Is that… because…"
<…it was because after seeing you get eaten by Charlotte, her soul gem fully corrupted, and she turned into a witch.> you finish for her. <She's currently elsewhere in the barrier.>
Tira simply stares at you for a moment, then lowers her head, her gaze dropping to her feet.
"…ah."
"'…ah?'" Sayaka repeats a few seconds later. "That's it?! You sure are taking this awfully well — did you care about Mami-san at all?!"
"It is not that I do not care." Tira says quietly, not looking up. "It is just that it feels somewhat… distant. I cut ties with Tomoe-san several months previous, and yesterday was the first time we had truly even spoken since then. She believed that I abandoned her, and… I suppose I did."
She swallows down a lump that you feel forming in her throat. "I will never be able to make up for that, now…"
"How about the fact that witches used to be magical girls?" Sayaka continues, apparently not convinced. "You don't seem all that broken up about it! You don't even seem surprised!"
Tira shakes her head. "That is because I am not. In fact, I had already suspected as much."
That manages to catch both you and Sayaka off guard.
"Wait, seriously?!" Sayaka cries, seeming to forget her anger for a moment.
Tira nods. "Yes. Part of why I sought to meet with Ashtaroth-san again was actually for the express purpose of confirming that theory." she explains. "I did not always suspect, but there was… a rumor…"
<-wait, rumors?> you interrupt. <What rumors?>
"Just the one, really." Tira replies. "It was first sent out in a mass text message, and circulated around my school for some time after. I was not certain it was even about magical girls at first, but the details seemed to match up too well to be entirely coincidental, and while I could hardly put a great deal of faith in mere gossip…"
She raises her head and looks up at you again, her gaze roaming around the various parts of your body. "…it seems that it was quite correct."
Well, that's odd. You're aware you're getting slightly distracted, but you rather want to hear more about this.
<What did this rumor say, exactly?> you ask.
Tira doesn't seem entirely sure why you're asking, but answers all the same. "I never received the text myself, so I am afraid I cannot remember the exact wording, but from what I recall the rumor obliquely referred to how a small creature may one day appear to you and offer you your heart's desire. It went on however to say that this was a trick, and that anyone who accepted the offer would soon find themselves drowning in despair, until the darkness of their soul was… 'unleashed', I believe was how it was phrased."
You raise a ribbon to where your chin would normally be in contemplation. Interesting... is someone out there attempting to subtly spread word of the truth of the magical girl system? Couched in very vague terms, yes, but for something like that to proliferate among the general populace… you wonder if Kyubey knows.
"Excuse me, but should we not be having this conversation with Kaname-san and Shizuki-san present as well?" Tira asks nervously. "They are doubtless quite concerned at this point, and if Kyubey has noticed, he will likely take advantage of that to urge Kaname-san into making a contract."
Sayaka stiffens, while you suddenly realize you haven't explained your current predicament to Tira yet.
<You're right, but I'm not sure there's much we can do about it even if he does.> you reply. <Right after the fight with you and Tomoe-san ended, another magical girl named Homura showed up out of nowhere and picked up where you left off. She had some sort of instant teleportation magic that made her pretty much impossible to fight, and Sayaka and I almost died multiple times over. We actually almost managed to win anyways, but before we could, Homura escaped by teleporting my entire barrier back to where I first turned into a witch. We're currently near Sengeitsu City, if you know where that is.>
Tira blinks up at you, looking rather bewildered by that influx of information. You suppose you can't really blame her, seeing as she's hearing this all after the fact. Maybe a visual aid will help?
You change your illusion to resemble your current view of the outside. Sayaka and Tira both yelp upon suddenly finding themselves "standing" on thin air, at least a couple thousand feet off the ground.
<This is where we are at the moment.> you say. <As you can see, we're not exactly in Mitakihara anymore.>
"That's nice and all, but for like the third or fourth thing now, maybe say something before- oh, forget it." Sayaka says, giving up halfway through her complaint. "More importantly, I hadn't even thought about it, but Narumi here is right! We have to at least warn Madoka not to make a wish!"
<Calm, Sayaka.> you reply, reverting your illusion to its previous state as you feel Tira start getting light-headed. <She's not in danger right now, remember?>
"Just because she isn't right now doesn't mean she won't be later!" Sayaka counters. "You didn't let me say anything to Madoka before, so she still doesn't know just how bad an idea it is! We need to get back to her ASAP!"
<'ASAP' would still be multiple hours from now.> you remind her.
"Can we at least go somewhere with a phone then?!"
"Do you not have a cell phone?" Tira asks slowly, her dizziness abating with the return of the floor.
Sayaka turns to her and gives her a slight glare. "Not with me, no. Why, do you?"
"Yes." Tira answers simply. "In my normal clothes, at least."
Sayaka stares at her for a moment, as though wondering if the other girl is just joking, before quickly rallying. "C-can I borrow it then? Please?!"
Tira hesitates for a long moment, as if having some sort of internal struggle, but eventually nods. "...yes. Just... be careful with it."
You take it upon yourself to de-transform her upon hearing that, leaving Tira back in the elegant blouse and skirt combo she was wearing at the meeting. She blinks for a moment at finding herself back in plainclothes, then reaches into the small handbag looped over her shoulder and pulls out a rather expensive-looking phone, unlocking and holding it out to Sayaka with clear trepidation in her movements.
Sayaka pays no mind to this, quickly thanking Tira before taking the phone and rapidly dialing in an unfamiliar number, which you can only assume to be Madoka's. You're unsure at first whether or not the phone will even work in your barrier, but after a moment the call connects. The other end rings… and rings… and rings…
"Um… hello?"
"Madoka! It's-"
"You've reached the phone number of Madoka Kaname. I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now, but if you leave a quick message, I promise I'll call you back as soon as I can!"
"Oh come on, pick up Madoka!"
Sayaka hangs up and redials, but only ends up back at the voicemail message again. Becoming increasingly tense, she tries another number, and gets a very similar recording from Hitomi.
"Why is no one answering?!" Sayaka almost screams.
"Please do not break my phone." Tira says, looking like she's caught between a glare and a wince.
Realizing the vice-like grip she's holding the other girl's property with, Sayaka loosens her hands and dials Madoka's number again. This time, when the message plays, Sayaka waits until it ends so she can leave a message of her own.
"Madoka, it's me!" Sayaka exclaims as soon as the tone goes off. "I don't know why you can't pick up your phone right now, but listen! Whatever you do, stay away from the transfer student, and DO NOT make a contract! Kyubey lied about- about everything! I'm still alive, but things have somehow gotten even worse, and we're in a completely different city now, and- arrrrrgh, there's too much for me to explain over a voicemail message! Just, call me back at this number, okay?!"
Sayaka hangs up, looking no less frustrated than before, and reluctantly hands Tira her phone back. As she does, you notice that the time display currently reads a half-hour past noon, and do a mental double take. That... can't be right, can it? You showed up at Hitomi's house first thing in the morning, and even between all the fighting that happened afterwards, it can't have been more than an hour since then. Maybe Tira's phone is set to the wrong timezone?
"Something's wrong." Sayaka says before you can think too much about it, anxiously pacing in a small circle. "I'm still not feeling anything with my… knight sense, or whatever you're calling it, but could you hurry up with your 'planning' so we can get back to Mitakihara?"
…this is going to be contentious, but…
<Honestly Sayaka, I'd rather not go back to Mitakihara at all.>
Sayaka abruptly stops pacing and rounds on you, shocked. "What?! I thought you said you were going to try to have Madoka make a wish to fix all this!"
<Well, you just told her not to make a contract under any circumstances, and if we're not doing that, then there isn't really much reason to return.>
"Of course I don't want Madoka to make a contract!" Sayaka exclaims. "Look what happened to me! What happened to Mami-san! But that doesn't mean we have to completely leave the city!"
<We've already left,> you point out, letting a little annoyance seep into your mental text, <if not under our own power, and it's possibly the one good thing to have come out of this disaster of a morning thus far. I only went to Mitakihara to begin with because I needed to be in a city to accomplish pretty much anything on my to-do list, and I figured it was my safest option since I was told it only had one magical girl. Apparently I was misinformed however, since in less than 48 hours of being there, I ran into FOUR of them, all of whom unsurprisingly tried to kill me.>
"I take it I am being included in that count?" Tira asks sheepishly. "For what it is worth, I am actually from Kazamino."
<…um, good to know I guess,> you say, uncertain how to kindly tell Tira that's worth pretty much nothing, <but that doesn't actually make the prospect of going back to Mitakihara any more appealing. I accomplished pretty much nothing I actually intended to do there, almost died five or six separate times, and the magical girl who came closest to succeeding on that front is presumably still hanging around the place, so no, I'm not particularly keen on the idea of strolling right back into that. Frankly, I'd prefer to head into Sengeitsu — we're already right next to it, and even if only by comparison, I'm willing to bet it would be a LOT less dangerous.>
It helps that, coming from the city yourself, you already know at least generally what places you'd need to steer clear of to avoid most of the local magical girls. Hirako might still be an issue, but you're a lot less worried about instantly dying to her now than you were when you first "hatched".
"But what about school?!" Sayaka protests. "My friends?! My parents?! I can't just up and abandon everything!"
<All of those would still be problems whether we went back to Mitakihara or not.> you reply. <I'm sorry Sayaka, but my life cannot literally revolve around yours, especially when by doing so it's entirely possible I won't have a life to live for much longer.>
You turn towards Tira. <The same goes for you, I'm afraid.>
Tira inclines her head, her eyes lidding in what seems like either sorrow or regret. "I understand that. I cannot claim to be thankful for it, but it impacts me to a lesser degree — I rarely see my direct family to begin with, and have no real friends to speak of. As for school… well, it is doubtful anyone there is likely to miss me."
...convenient as that is, that was a much more depressing response than you were expecting.
"I- I have to at least let my mom and dad know what's going on though!" Sayaka tries.
<You don't have to be in the city to do that, you can just call them and explain->
"Like they're going to believe any of this from over the phone?!" Sayaka snaps. "They'll think I've been kidnapped!"
<...I mean, that's a rather uncharitable way of looking at it, but I guess I can't say it's entirely inaccurate->
"NOT helping!" Sayaka shouts. "Look, I- I-!"
She suddenly stops and lets out a long, shuddering sigh. Some of the desperation seems to leak out of her expression in the process, though only to be replaced by resignation.
"...I know I can't live a normal life anymore." Sayaka admits, her head facing the floor. "Kyubey ruined any chance of that for me, even before you ate my soul gem. But I won't just let the people I care about think I suddenly vanished off the face of the Earth, and leave everyone wondering what happened to me. That's cruel, and completely unfair to them."
Sayaka slowly raises her head to look up at you again, her eyes hardening with resolve. "If you meant anything you said yesterday about caring about what happens to me, then at least let me talk to them in person. They deserve that much."
...dang it. Why did she have to start talking calmly again? She's making it sound so reasonable…
"Excuse me?" Tira says, cutting through the tension between you and Sayaka. "If I might interrupt for a moment... you claimed that there were other things you were trying to accomplish in Mitakihara, correct? What else were you intending to do there beyond what you have already said?"
You look over at her, not entirely sure where she's going with this.
<I was trying to find out if there were any sapient witches besides myself.> you explain. <I kind of figured that if I found any others, I could... well, I don't know. I guess team up with them, or ask them for advice, or something along those lines? To be honest, it's more that I just want to know if I'm the only one or not.>
It sounds kind of trivial when you put it like that, but it's important to you nonetheless.
<I'm also missing pretty much all of my memories prior to becoming a magical girl, so I'd like to get those back if at all possible-> you continue, ignoring Sayaka's slightly startled reaction to that, <-and I had a few vague thoughts about trying to improve the magical girl system as a whole, but since you two are now a factor, I guess I'm prioritizing finding a way back to humanity before anything else.>
Honestly, that's probably for the best anyways. Yes, there are perks to your current state of being, but you've also been attacked by five different magical girls in less than two days. If you don't make un-witching yourself your primary goal, you might not survive long enough to accomplish any of the others… besides, this sort of ties into getting your memories back anyways, right? You'd kind of hope that the two go hand in hand.
"I see." Tira says thoughtfully. "In that case, perhaps a compromise could be reached?"
<Hmm? How so?>
"I cannot be certain, but I may know of another 'sapient' witch." Tira replies.
Ahhh, that's right — after everything that happened yesterday, you'd almost forgotten that interesting little comment Tira made the first time you ran into her.
<This would be the "skull witch" I remember you mentioning?> you ask.
"Yes." Tira confirms. "She was what first made me suspect exactly what the rumor I had heard might be alluding to. Her intelligence was less clear cut than yours, but it- er, she? seemed similarly capable of communicating through writing... though, she also exploited my surprise at this to grievously injure me, and was far more hostile in general."
Huh... well, that's definitely interesting, especially given Saar and Charlotte's seeming inability to even recognize written language. This is exactly the sort of lead you would have liked to have yesterday evening. That being said...
<I appreciate you sharing that, but I don't really see how this is related to the current topic.>
"I encountered that witch in Kazamino." Tira elaborates. "It has been over a week since then, so I cannot be certain that none of the city's other magical girls have found and killed her, but considering her tactical ability and relatively high strength, I would think it entirely possible she is still alive. If you still intend to seek other sapient witches, perhaps we can head there and attempt to locate her? Kazamino also directly borders Mitakihara, so if Miki-san wishes to explain her circumstances in person, her parents should be able to meet up with her easily enough without anyone needing to set foot in Mitakihara itself."
You consider the idea. That's… tempting, but even if it's technically not the same city, Kazamino still strikes you as too close to Mitakihara for comfort. Besides, didn't you literally just resolve to work on un-witching yourself first? Your witch sapience investigation can wait... although, the longer you take to get around to it, the more chance this other witch has of just being killed before you can find her, if she hasn't been already. And assuming you manage to avoid subsuming anyone else, this is probably the only lead you're likely to get on this subject for the forseeable future.
…why does this have to be such a frustrating decision?
[-] Capitulate to Sayaka's plea and go back to Mitakihara.
[-] Refuse Sayaka's plea and head into Sengeitsu.
[-] Compromise by accepting Tira's suggestion to go to Kazamino.
[-] Write in.
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Many phones display not only the time, but also the date. Though I guess it depends on what you have set to display on the lock screen, etc. But it should automatically synch up with correct date just like it did the time.
I must say, having all of Sayaka's calls go to voice mail felt a little artificial. It seems like the story is being bent hard to keep them from realizing that they're in the past. I don't even get the point in doing so; why not get the revelation out of the way so it spurs them to different actions?
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Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
TIME TO COLLECT MORE HAIR COLORS!
TASTE THE RAINBOW, ASHY!
TASTE THE RAINBOW, ASHY!