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# Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

- Thread starter Firnagzen
- Start date May 19, 2014
- Tags
    bad decisions dating mami tomoe diabolical laughter friendship is the best ship handholding identity crises microwaving tea gets you put in the bad place names are important puella magi adfligo systema puella magi madoka magica the body is the fursona of the soul this is not the baked goods thread we don't talk about rionna what could possibly go wrong? who in the world is azure sanfrancisco?

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Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 18
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 28, 2014

- #10,493

"I'm fine with it," you offer. "Um... Masami?"
The redhead shakes her head, looking away. "I- I-" Hiroko slips around the room to stand beside her, catching her hand. Masami glances down at the black haired girl, who gives her and encouraging, if tentative, smile.
"Miss Gaikotsu, I understand your reservations," Akiko says. "But please, consider Miss Sabrina a safety net."
"N-no," she says, looking up from Hiroko, her face the same curious mix of desperate hope and fear. She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Y-yeah. I d-don't like it, but-" she gulps, "-I can see why."
"Alright, then," Rin says, clapping her hands together. "Let's go."
Masami nods, and walks to the bedroom, legs jerky, Hiroko clutching her hand tightly and walking with her. You and Rin follow, the healer looking more than a little nervous, one hand wringing the other. Before you walk in to the room, you glance back at the remaining two of the Sendai trio. Sakura glares at you, arms crossed, while Akiko, having reclaimed her seat on the sofa, gives you a slow nod.
"Thanks," you send to Akiko. "It... might not be worth much, but I didn't want things to happen like this, either."
"Understandable," Akiko says.
If you were the uncharitable sort, you'd note that she didn't actually address either of the things you said.
You shut the door behind you and take a look around the cosy bedroom. There's a double bed... and a plastic wrapped mattress, put up neatly against the wall, with some duvets and pillows stacked on the bed. A new-looking wooden closet, presumably filled with clothes, sits beside a curtained window, shut against the rain.
On the far side of the window is a dressing table without a mirror, an empty frame testament to where one used to be.
"OK," you say. "The first thing - what I'm here for. I'm going to be cleansing your Soul Gems, and I'm going to keep doing it."
Rin nods jerkily, as does Hiroko. Masami just grimaces.
"Alright, then." You bow your head to Rin. "How do we do this?"
"Well, the first thing is that I need to see the extent of the i-injuries," Rin says, tone clinical but wavering slightly.
Masami glances at Hiroko, who nods back, and releases Masami's hand. The redhead squeezes her eyes shut, head tilting up, jaw and fists clenched as if anticipating a blow.
The illusionist gulps, and... relaxes, a faint air of tension thrumming around her so consistently you hadn't even noticed it vanishing.
You can see the illusion unravel, the bright sparks of magic snuffing out, and to your eyes, the air around Masami rippling and a wave of colour rolling back across her body, starting from her toes, consuming the illusion.
A swathe of her body is simply gone.
You can see the bleached white of bones, with their little red cores of marrow visible in the ends splintered like so much ceramic. A few dangling, stringy blood vessels... The spongy, soft tissue of the insides of her lungs. Torn scraps of what would have once been a resplendent costume. The shattered remains of her pelvis, still embedded in dead yet unrotting flesh. A single, disembodied hand, jagged bone protruding from the severed wrist.
The terrifying, unsettling stillness of a corpse. No breathing. None of the subtle tremors of a human being going about their daily life.
Her Soul Gem, sparkling on a choker at the base of her neck.
A whimper, and a single tear sliding down a gaunt, almost translucent face framed by messy, unkempt red hair.
Spikes of Grief, in the Soul Gems of everyone but yourself.
"Oh," Rin says faintly. "Oh."
"Cleansing," you warn, already gesturing with a hand and pulling with your powers. You immediately force the Grief down into marbles - not very many of them, but then, incremental cleansing.
Rin shivers, breathing deeply. "OK. Please lie down, Miss G-gaikotsu."
Moving slowly, the telekinetic complies, eyes still squeezed shut. You can see undying muscle tissue shifting under translucent skin, as Masami lowers herself to the floor, one hand -her right, severed hand- braced against the floor to support her weight, and then she lets herself lie flat.
Hiroko immediately crouches on her left, grabbing Masami's hand. The redhead squeezes it back with desperate fervour.
A nova of green light erupts from Rin, which clears to reveal Rin in her magical girl costume - the same heavy robes as earlier, with the kind of tremendously voluminous sleeves one might hold together to hide one's hands. It's a lighter but still deep green shade than your initial impression - but then again, that was with the costume completely soaked by the rain. Bands of dark yellow trim out the edges, and her Soul Gem, gleaming a bright, emerald green, hangs as a pendant on a chain around her neck.
Rin kneels next to the girl, robes pooling around her. "I'm going to begin the healing process now," she announces, both of her hands lighting up with a cheerful green glow.
She presses both hands to Masami's... you can't even justifiably call it a wound; the word is too small to emcompass the sheer extent of the damage. "The wound is clean," she notes. "... you will need to release the telekinesis for me to heal you."
Masami lets out a choking noise, but nods jerkily. Her body collapses, torso lying limp, detached hips sagging loosely. Hiroko clutches Masami's hand tightly, and Masami... squeezes back, a single, deeply unsettling movement of a corpse.
"Cleansing," you warn, stony faced, and proceed to do just that.
Rin shudders, but grits her teeth and immediately begins healing, starting from the chest. You watch with fascination as flesh grows, bone shards flying back to their rightful places, flesh and organ tissue reknitting itself, skin weaving itself across freshly grown muscle. You can't help but contrast it to the agonizingly slow pace of your and Homura's healing on Oriko. The wonders of a dedicated powerset, you suppose.
All the while, you maintain a steady stream of Grief away from everyone's Soul Gems, including your own. You pack away the marbles as soon as they're formed.
It takes minutes to repair Masami's torso, and Rin immediately moves on to the arm, shifting on her knees. The arm is healed almost as fast as Rin can move, the healer simply sliding her flowing hands down from the shoulder, and flesh flowing into place beneath them.
Finally, Rin presses one hand to Masami's heart.
The redhead gasps sharply, her chest expanding in an inhalation. "Please hold still, Miss Gaikotsu," Rin says sharply.
The healer holds her hand there for a minute longer, and colour floods back into Masami's exposed skin in a rush.
Rin rocks back on her heels, smiling faintly. "It's done. Welcome back to l-life, Miss Gaikotsu."
Masami sits up, running disbelieving hands down her freshly healed self, prodding wonderingly at herself. Hiroko squeals in delight and tackles the redhead back to the ground, hugging her tightly.
"I think... we should give them a moment," Rin suggests.
You nod, and the two of you quietly leave the room as Hiroko babbles happily at the still stunned redhead.
Sakura and Akiko are having an animated, but silent conversation, or rather, Sakura is, while the bluenette frowns disapprovingly at her. Both look up at the pair of you when you enter the living room.
"It went... well," Rin answers the unspoken question. "We're giving them a moment."
"Good," Akiko says, smiling. "How are you feeling, Rin?"
The healer shakes her head. "She's alive. She's alive, Akiko. I- she- we all are. We're not dead."
Akiko nods, smiling. "That's good to hear," she says. You can see Sakura frown in response to Rin's statement, but she hides it in favour of a less scowly expression.
... you know, you're pretty sure she has expressions other than varying degrees of scowling. You've seen them before, even, when you'd first introduced yourself to them.
... well, it's obvious she's annoyed, but you have to wonder at the why.
The door slams open behind you, and footsteps thunder over. A ballistic flash of red tackles Rin from behind to wrap the healer in a tight bear hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Masami babbles, words tumbling over each other. Hiroko follows at a more sedate pace, broad, ecstatic grin on her face, what looks like a shirt hanging from her hand.
Rin laughs delightedly. "You're welcome, Miss Gaikotsu! Uh... you're not wearing anything."
"Don't care!" Masami laughs.
Hiroko smacks the redhead on the head with the wadded clothes. "I care!" You can't help but laugh as Hiroko forces the loose T-shirt over Masami's head.
[] Talk to Masami and Hiroko
- [] About?
[] Talk to the Sendai trio
- [] About?
[] Leave
- [] Write in next activity (It's 2PM.)
[] Write-in
=====​
One down.
Last edited: Sep 28, 2014
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 19
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 29, 2014

- #10,557

You laugh in delight, watching Masami bounce around the room. The redhead freezes suddenly, gleeful grin on her face growing even wider, and she rushes into the kitchen, Hiroko following closely behind. You hear the clinking of cutlery.
"Well!" you say, broad smile on your own face. "That went well!"
Sakura gives you a sour look, which you promptly ignore.
Masami richochets back into the living room, a plastic tub in one hand and a spoon in the other, green stuff smeared on her face. She digs another spoonful from the tub -ah, ice cream- and gobbles it down messily, smearing it over her face. She cheerfully burbles something muffled by the ice cream. Hiroko chases her, laughing and waving a wet cloth.
You glance sideways at Rin and nudge her. "You know, that was amazing," you say to the healer. "What you did there... Well." You indicate the rejuvenated redhead.
"Yes," Rin says, giddy smile on her face. "We're... I could feel her heart. It's as real as any. We're still human."
"Do you really need powers to tell you that?" you ask, raising your eyebrows at the healer, and tilting your head at the couple.
The redhead, still laughing happily, finally submits to Hiroko's ministrations, the black haired girl wiping off the mess of ice cream.
"I guess not," Rin says.
"But yeah, thanks," you say, and glance over at Akiko and Sakura. "Thanks, all of you. I'm not the one who needed the healing, but I appreciate you sticking around to do it." You pause. "More than you know, really."
Sakura gives you another scowl, while Akiko nods in response.
Rin smiles. "I... the revelation... wasn't good, but this..." she waves at Masami, still bouncing around the room. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Heh," you chuckle, and move over to lean on the sofa behind Akiko. Addressing the bluenette in response. "So, the thing is, I'm perfectly happy to cleanse any Grief Seeds you have, or will have. By which I mean I can restore a Grief Seed back to a 'new' state, so you can reuse it again."
"Is that so?" Akiko asks curiously, twisting to regard you with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah," you confirm. "Honestly, any time you want to come by, let me know, and I'll be happy to, uh, recycle any Grief Seeds you have. Now, even, if you want to."
"I see," Akiko says thoughtfully. "In that case..." She digs in her pocket and withdraws a single, partially used Grief Seed which she holds out to you. "Trust, but verify," she adds. "You understand, I trust?"
Loud, squealing laughter interrupts you as Hiroko begins to tickle Masami mercilessly, the redhead squirming to try and get away from her.
You shrug. "Yeah, I can understand that, I guess." An idle flick of your finger has Grief streaming from the Grief Seed, and a violent twitch and frown from Sakura. You stop when you judge the Grief Seed is back in a pristine state, packing away the Grief into marbles with familiar twists of your power.
Akiko holds the Grief Seed up to her eye level and inspects it, turning it this way and that. After a moment, she nods, and stands, motioning for Sakura. Raising her voice a little to be heard over Masami's giggling, she says, "Alright, I think our business here is done, then. We will leave from here, if that's acceptable?"
"O-oh!" Masami squeaks, looking up, embarassed surprise crossing her face. "Uh, yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"It was a pleasure, Miss Gaikotsu," Rin says with a soft smile, and to her credit, her voice is completely steady. "I hope I won't be seeing you again for anything... like this."
"Indeed," Akiko nods. "Farewell, Miss Gaikotsu, Miss Sabrina."
"Oh, yes!" Rin says. "Bye, Miss Sabrina!"
Sakura grunts, managing a small smile as the Sendai trio move to grab their shoes. The teleporter holds out her hands for Akiko and Rin to grab on to. A frown crosses her face, that familiar glow pulsing around her as she concentrates, and their bodies warping in that same, eye wrenching way that you've seen once before. This time, you don't intervene, and a moment later, they disappear, distorting in a direction other to the real.
You grin. At Rin, and then at the happy couple. "Well. That's that, then. Welcome back to the land of the living, Masami!"
Masami rolls her eyes at you, but calls back, "Thanks!"
"So, I guess I'm done here, too, so I'll leave you to be. If you need any more cleanses, just call me, OK?" you say.
"Yeah, yeah," Masami says, trying, and failing, to scowl at you. Her mood is entirely too bouyant to be upset with you, you suspect.
You snap a finger as you suddenly remember something. "Oh, right. On my way here, I noticed a Witch nearby. Mind if I take care of it? If only to prevent civilian casualties?"
Masami frowns, and Hiroko answers for her. "We uh... sort of need the Grief Seeds."
You shrug. "OK, then. Just remember, if you need help, just let me know."
"Yeah, yeah," Masami repeats, frown fighting with, and losing to, her ecstatic grin. "Push off."
"Alright. See you, I'll let myself out," you say, and suit action to word.
As you walk down the corridor, you send back one telepathic comment. "By the way, one last thing."
"Yeah?" Masami replies, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Mami misses her friend," you say. "You should call some time."
Silence, for a moment.
"Mami got me into this life," Masami snaps. "Fuck off."
... oops.
You take the elevator up to the top floor, and make your way out to the roof top, spinning an umbrella out of Grief to shield you from the rain. You transform casually midstep, shoe leaving the ground but boot landing instead, Grief marbles already lofting themselves into the air and spiralling around you.
Your wings of corruption ripple into existence, and you leap skywards into the teeth of the rain. The wind's picked up by now, and you have to fight it for control of your flightpath. Nevertheless, you manage, skimming across the city and headed for more familiar grounds.
You circle around, looking for a Witch to hunt, and soon find one, wedged away in the side of what looks like an old, dilapidated restaurant set at the base of a building.
[] Go in
- [] Maxim 47. Don't expect the enemy to cooperate in the creation of your dream engagement. (Be cautious)
- [] Maxim 34. If you're leaving scorch-marks, you need a bigger gun. (Smash everything in sight)
[] Something else?
[] Write-in
=====​
You have one thousand, two hundred and eighty eight Grief marbles, and two Grief Seeds in your pockets.
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 20
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 30, 2014

- #10,731

You take a deep breath, and step forward into the glowing slit in reality, folding your wings tightly behind you to fit.
A moment of distortion.
You bite back your instinctive revulsion, stomach roiling at the greasy feel of the Witch Barrier all aroun-
You blink owlishly, and start to breathe more shallowly.
The air is heavy with a nauseating amount of old, rancid grease, enough to make your stomach curdle. You lift a foot, and cringe when the ancient-looking tiling tries to hang on to your boot by virtue of being tacky from a pervasive, mouldering layer of unidentifiable, oily gunk.
... at least it's not raining in here?
"Ergh," you can't help but mutter, shifting from foot to foot, and looking around. There's a towering, grease-slicked, metal wall stretching into the sky on your left, far enough that you can't see the top of it... instead, you trot forward, a swarm of buzzing Grief blades hovering protectively around you, formed from a few marbles, and the solid, comforting weight of a warhammer leaning against your shoulder.
... what the hell is that noise?
There's this kind of hissing noise approaching, and you bring your warhammer up in a guard position, and spread your swarm of blades, ready to attack.
When it arrives, your first impression is white. Particles of white pour out of the ground, filtering out of the gaps between tiles, sleeting upwards in a reverse snowstorm. An avalanche of white bears down upon you. Your blades come up, buzzing angrily as they lance through the air... and carve harmlessly through the torrent of white, the particles parting and flowing around the razor shards.
You hastily launch yourself skywards, wings flaring wide behind you. The flood of white coils in on itself, and then pours upwards after you. You frown, and twist with your powers - and the avalanche reverses both colour and direction, a pathetic spray of ash and other leavings falling to the ground.
... huh.
Another hissing noise, and another avalanche pounces on you, this one pouring down at you, a million tiny particles forming in mid air, changing directions and flowing sideways to get at you. You tear the Grief from that one, too, your wings rippling ever larger.
Yet another flash of white launching itself at you... and this time, you meet it with a flat plate, flash forged out of Grief, and then slam a second plate down behind it, smashing it flat with an enormous thunderclap. The amorphous blob of a Familiar quivers... and collapses, falling to the ground below and scattering in a spray of white.
You grin.
And launch yourself forward, wings beating powerfully and setting your coat whipping about you. Heavy thunderclaps follow your flight as you catch and smash the attacking Familiars between smashy plates of Grief. You spin instruments out of Grief, and begin playing a tune you find all too appropriate.
A vague thought drifts through your brain, thinking about how Mami would handle these particular Familiars. Ribbons, probably? The thought of your friend brings you to thoughts of telling her about the true nature of Witches, though... and that's going to be messy.
You swoop over the endless, nearly featureless plain, the towering metal wall an ever constant companion on your right, and the constant stream of Familiars pounded into so much loose, sandy white particles.
A sudden rushing noise from above you, and-
you-
are-
suddenly-​
-elsewhere. The grease hangs even heavier here, and far below you, beneath a tremendous metal grate, is a bubbling pit of boiling oil. The enormous sloped walls are close, almost claustrophobic, seeming to press in on you, and a sickening yellow light illuminates the entire place.
... there's a titanic, pasty looking face bobbing in the roiling oil beneath you, empty eyes staring upwards and mouth slack.
[] Proceed with trying to take control of Grief away from the Witch
[] Other experiments
[] Write-in
=====​
So it occurs to me that, if Hildegard were turning back into a meguca (I make no judgement on whether this is happening), you could reasonably call the resulting girl Hildegirl.
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 21
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 1, 2014

- #10,790

You stare down at the Witch, or at least you assume that's the Witch, bobbing gently in the bubbling, spitting pit of oil beneath, your wings beating to keep you aloft. You don't particularly feel like touching down on the metal grill beneath you.
A vague thought at the back your mind wonders about convection. If that's boiling oil down there, shouldn't it be blisteringly hot up here? It's barely warm enough in here to bring a light sheen of sweat to your face.
Then again, magic.
You take a deep breath, more as punctuation than anything, and immediately regret it as you get a lungful of the noxious, grease laden air. The breath reverses itself and you gasp shallowly instead.
... if this Witch is trying to disgust you to death, it's not doing too badly.
Reaching out with your other senses, you take a look at the Witch.
In the depths of the roiling, turbulent oil, you find a bubbling, hissing speck, the abyssal wellspring of Grief that is the Witch. A sepulchral voice whispers in your mind, a Name running icy fingers down your spine.
Gwen.
It's a familiar feeling, much like any other Witch you've faced so far... or indeed, any of the cores you find in any puella magi Soul Gem... including your own. You can't say that it's really different from any other Witch you've encountered, other than-
Gwen.
You know, bone deep, that this particular Witch is Gwen, and not, say, Aurora or Hildegard. That is its identity, nothing more and nothing less.
The Witch, Gwen, seems to be scudding around somewhere under the surface of the boiling oil, and that face is apparently a decoy, or some such. Still...
You reach out with your powers, and rip the Grief comprising the pasty face away to your control. It collapses in on itself, ashen remains mixing into the roiling oil.
A burbling, pained howl answers you, loud enough to send gobbets of oil bouncing off the surface of the oil and rattle the metallic walls around you. The oil churns beneath you, a mass of oil surging upwards to form a distinct figure, a hulking juggernaut moulded out of ugly, brown oil. A titantic face leers at you, jagged hole of a mouth gaping wide, and multiple heavy, dripping tentacles formed out of the oil whip around threateningly.
You grin tightly in response, unimpressed.
The juggernaut lunges upwards, grungy brown oil pouring upwards as the tentacles lance at you.
You raise an eyebrow.
The tentacles dissolve, oil losing cohesion and flaking away as you rip away the Grief making up the tentacles.
That burbling howl again.
You wave your warhammer like a conductor's baton, and without any further fanfare, tear away the Grief forming the Witch's head.
The enormous figure of oil quivers for a moment... and collapses, sludgy brown oil pouring back down. The Barrier around you wavers, dissolving into raw Grief that pours ceaselessly into the Grief Seed. You carefully release the Grief you've taken control of after entering this Barrier, bringing the levels of Grief under your control back to what you had before.
The Barrier gives up the ghost completely, and jolts you back into reality, disgorging you in the alley, and torrential rain, beside the old restaurant. The deluge of rain instantly plasters your hair flat against your skull, but you breathe deeply of the pleasantly cool and thankfully clean air out here.
You take a moment to look around, and grab the Grief Seed from the ground - the rain drowned out the usual noise of the Grief Seed landing, but you home in unerringly using your senses, anyway.
It's still early - that was a particularly unimpressive specimen of a Witch, you think, though probably a little problematic for a puella magi without some kind of area of effect attack, or your unique capabilities. It's not like Kyouko's spears could stab what were, on reflection, mounds of living salt to death, you reason.
Eh. Perhaps it's just as well you killed that Witch after all?
Regardless, it's only about 3:30PM in the afternoon, you think, about half an hour before Mami and the others end school.
[] Just hang around the school and wait for them
- [] Where to, afterwards?
[] Do something?
- [] What?
[] Write-in
=====​
Gwen, the Witch of self hatred. Her nature is rejection. Her Barrier is desolate and empty, inhospitable to outsiders.
Last edited: Oct 1, 2014
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 22
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 2, 2014

- #10,892

First things first, you think - get out of this particular, grungy little alleyway. You spread your wings, launching yourself up into the air to land on the roof, where you're out of sight of random passersby. You cross your wings over your head to form a simple shelter for your self, rain drumming off the impromptu roof, while you spin off a small plate of Grief to sit on.
You've got about half an hour before you can go to find Mami and the others, which is, really, an annoying amount of time. Not enough to really do anything, but long enough to be boring.
Still, you're not completely bereft. You reach into left pocket and withdraw Hildegard's Grief Seed, carefully kept seperate from Aurora's and now Gwen's Grief Seeds in your right pocket. You hold up the Grief Seed, now a ball of smoky dark gray crystal embraced in the same silvery filigree, balancing on your finger.
You look at it. It's... quiescent, is really the best word for it, doing nothing very much in particular, the levels of Grief unchanging. You try poking a little Grief at it, just a tiny amount. Nothing unusual happens - the Grief simply gets sucked in.
You still have no real idea how to channel magic, as opposed to simply exerting your will on Grief - that comes naturally to you, like moving another arm. Still, maybe if you try to tweak a little of the magic in your body...
You focus on your hand and twist with your will... and you yelp as your hand goes completely dead, all feeling leaving it. Your hand droops on the end of your arm as you flail it about wildly. You hastily let go, and feeling returns to your hand in a rush of pins and needles.
... well, you suspect that if you should one day need to play dead, you can probably accomplish that very easily.
You grimace. That was rather unpleasant, though. You raise Hildegarde's Seed to your eye level, inspecting it visually, as well as both of your magical senses - nothing very much seems to have changed about it. Perhaps it's a little darker grey from the Grief you put into it, but that's hardly noticeable.
Ah, well. Maybe when you have a better idea?
You hop nimbly off your seat, landing with a small splash in the pooling rain on this particular rooftop. Time to stop messing around with Grief Seeds, and time to go and find Mami. You drop Hildegard back into your pocket and take wing into the rain again.
Ugh. This rain is starting to get annoying. But sometimes it just rains, you suppose.
You spin a shield out of some Grief to ward off the rain as you soar in towards the school, dropping into a convenient alley and emerging, untransformed and with your collapsible umbrella deployed to keep you dry-ish. You merge into the crowds, umbrella bumping along with everyone else's.
"Mami?" you call as your approach the grand edifice wrought of glass and steel that is Mitakihara Middle School. Looking up, you can see the absurdly ornate crenellations that adorn the roof - veiled by a curtain of rain, you could pretend that it were part of some castle of a bygone age.
"Oh! Sabrina!" Mami replies. "Wonderful timing, I was just about to call you."
"Walking around near the school gates, actually," you tell her.
"Ah? Give us a moment, we'll be right out," Mami says.
You can feel two magical presences slowly making their way out, and you glance in past the school gates - a blob of pink, black and gold. You smile, and raise your hand to wave at them. Madoka and Mami wave back.
"Hey," you call cheerfully when they're closer to you.
"Sabrina!" Mami smiles broadly.
"Hi, Sabrina!" Madoka says.
Homura nods at you. "Hello."
"How was your day?" you ask, as the four of you meander off down the path, surrounded by sodden greenery. "Or how were your days?" you add with a smile.
Mami beams back at you. "Today was good! We have some homework for the weekend, but not too much... Of course, I need to study for my test, too," she hastily amends.
Madoka looks mournful. "Miss Saotome has a new boyfriend."
You raise a perplexed eyebrow at her, while Mami laughs, shaking her head. "She still does that?"
Madoka and, to your surprise, Homura nod.
Mami catches sight of your puzzled look. "When Miss Saotome is happy, she tends to give a lot of homework."
"... oh," you say. "I... see?" A moment later, you ask, rather belatedly, "By the way, where are we going?"
Mami blinks. "I was following you."
"... and I was following you," you say, halting in your tracks. The both of you stare sheepishly at each other, before looking at Madoka, who shakes her head sadly.
Homura just gives you a look.
"Sayaka's out of the hospital," Madoka offers after a long moment filled with the patter of falling rain. "I think she's probably busy moving? I'll send her a message," she says, trapping her umbrella against her shoulder and reaching for her phone.
"Yeah," you nod. "Um, how about Hitomi?"
"Hmm," Madoka hums thoughtfully. "Wasn't she going to be discharged today, too?"
You shrug.
"I'll send her a message too," Madoka says. "Though... maybe I should go home and start on my homework?" she says, drooping in place.
Mami purses her lips. "Maybe that would be for the best," she says.
"A-ah," the pinkette says. Her phone pings, and she perks up, looking at it. "Yes, Sayaka's busy moving in..." another ping of an incoming message. "... and Hitomi says that she's at home now."
"Ah, well," you say. "That's that, then."
Mami shakes her head. "I would suggest shopping -Sabrina can't keep wearing my old things forever-, but you should do your homework. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow?" she finishes.
Madoka bobs her head with a smile. "That sounds fun!"
"Well, I suppose we're going home, then?" you say.
"Y-yeah," Madoka says.
"Alright," you say. "Bus?"
Madoka nods, and the four of you walk over to the bus stop.
"By the way, Mami," you say telepathically.
"Yes, Sabrina?" the blonde replies.
"I ran into Masami and the Sendai girls earlier today," you tell her.
"Oh," Mami says, voice suddenly pensive.
"Everything turned out OK!" you say hastily. "I kinda need to talk to you about that later, though."
"Yes," Mami agrees. "Yes, we do."
...
Uh oh.
"Ah, my bus!" Madoka says catching sight of the afore-mentioned vehicle. "Homura, let's go! Bye Mami, bye Sabrina!" She runs for the bus, splashing through the puddles.
"Bye, Madoka, Homura!" you call, echoed by Mami.
Mami smiles after them. "Let's go home, Sabrina," she says.
[] What will you say to Mami?
[] Write-in
=====​
Someone's in trooo~oouble!
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 23
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 3, 2014

- #10,952

The two of you proceed home in an uncomfortable silence, Mami lost in thought. You watch her expression of quiet worry out of the corner of your eye, her brows slightly furrowed and her lips twisted unhappily.
A uncomfortable pit opens in your stomach, the silence communicating far better than words could how... worried? disappointed? Mami is. You're not even sure what precisely is wrong.
When you get home, Mami leaves her bag on the usual shelf, and gestures for you to do the same. She then leads you over to the sofa and sits you down, in turn sitting beside you, turned slightly to face you.
"Sabrina," Mami says finally, face a stormy mix of emotion. "Why? You can't k-keep doing this."
Your confusion probably shows on your face.
"Y-you..." Mami stutters, and stops. "Sabrina, tell me about the Sendai group."
You blink at the non-sequitur. "There's three of them, and they have a healer for hir-" Mami's already shaking her head.
"There's five of them," she tells you. "And you didn't even know that they had a healer until you met them either, did you?"
You grimace, and shake your head reluctantly.
"Sabrina, you're powerful," Mami admits. "But you can't go barging into every situation like that. It's dangerous, and o-one day you're going t-to run into something you can't handle. I..."
She breaks off, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. "I know you're trying to help. You're a good person, Sabrina. But you can't- I can't-"
[] Write-in
=====​
From an external point of view, Sabrina has the self-preservation instincts of a suicidal lemming.
Last edited: Oct 3, 2014
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 24
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 4, 2014

- #11,068

You put one arm around Mami, trying to pull her closer to you.
She resists, shaking her head.
"This... isn't something you can hug away," Mami says. " I-I'm... I'm terrified, Sabrina. For you... at the thought of l-losing y-you..."
Withdrawing your arm, you look down at your lap, searching for the right words. Finally, you look back at her, gaze steady. "Thank you, Mami."
A frown begins to form on Mami's face.
"Thank you for caring about me," you say, shaking your head with a smile. "It's... just not something I'm used to, you know?" Your smile disappears. "But I'm sorry. I just keep being... more and more trouble for you, and you don't deserve it, at all. It isn't fair to you... I keep having to say I'm sorry."
"Sabrina..." Mami trails off, looking stricken. "I- no, you're not a burden!"
"I... I don't mean that, Mami," you say. "I- I..." you swallow, hard. "I wouldn't have done that without a good reason. And I had one."
Mami winces, looking down. "I believe you, Sabrina. You're a good person. It's j-just-"
"Mami, I was warned that if I didn't do something, Masami would have died," you say. "But I was careful... I did my best to not to pick a fight, and it worked out in the end."
Mami gives out a choked laugh. "I believe you," she repeats. "And I wouldn't w-want you to s-stop. You w-wouldn't be y-you anymore. But I can't- I can't-"
You try to hug Mami again, and this time, she lets you, sagging against you and staring blindly at nothing in particular. It's not very comfortable, half twisted on the couch like this... but you don't care very much. You stroke her back soothingly, slow rhythmic circles.
"Mami," you say. "If I hadn't gone... Masami was... badly injured. Her magic was the only thing keeping her alive... and Oriko warned me that if I didn't do anything, the Sendai group would have refused to heal her, and... she'd have died soon after. I-I know we shouldn't trust Oriko so easily, but..."
Mami shakes her head, and begins speaking, muffled by your shoulder. "Y-you couldn't leave it. A-and t-that's something amazing, Sabrina. B-but-"
"Hush, Mami," you say. "You are a wonderful, wonderful person, and you're not going to lose me so easily. I know I'm taking risks that seem bad, but I'm here to stay. I promise, Mami."
You can feel Mami swallow hard.
"I-I'm not such a good person," she whispers.
"Yes, you are Mami," you say insistently.
"I-I," she hiccups. "I- earlier... h-hoped you w-wouldn't regain your m-memories, Sabrina. B-because. Y-you would l-leave me..."
"No," you say, still hugging her tightly. "No, I wouldn't, Mami. And no, I'm not leaving you now."
"I want to believe you," she whispers. "I want to believe you so badly."
"I promise, Mami," you repeat. It's the only thing you can really do. "I won't leave you."
"I-" she sniffles. "I hope so. I-I don't think I c-could t-take it i-if-" She finally starts crying, great wailing sobs into your shoulder and clutching you tightly like a lifeline.
You let her, holding her and rubbing her back gently.
Finally, she stops crying, sobs petering out into little sniffles. She sits back, and you give her a smile. She returns it, eyes reddened and watery, but nevertheless a smile.
"I s-should go and clean myself up," she murmurs. You experience a moment of deja vu - didn't she say exactly that the last time?
"Mami," it's your turn to swallow hard. "I need to tell you something... painful. But it's important, and you need... no, you deserve to know. But, um. Yes, clean up, first."
Mami blinks at you confusedly, distress beginning to show on her face again.
"No! It's nothing to do with..." you say hastily, waving your hands at her. "I... what I said is true, Mami. You won't lose me."
Mami remains seated on the sofa. "O-OK. Tell me."
You take a deep breath. "It's... Mami, when I woke up, I knew about the magical girl system, and one of the things... I didn't actually see this until our fight with Oriko and now with Masami..." You trail off.
You're stalling.
Mami looks increasingly distressed, worried lines forming around her eyes, still puffy and red from her crying. "What is it, Sabrina?"
"We- Magical girls can survive injuries that would normally kill people... Injuries that can kill instantly." You swallow again, but it doesn't really budge the lump in your throat. "Impossible injuries. You- we can survive them."
Mami blinks. "Y-yes, magic can do amazing things..."
You shake your head. "Mami, with healing, we can walk away from a severed head, or having your lungs, and heart, and half your torso gone. Oriko did. Masami did."
A cringe. "W-with m-magic, m-miracles can h-happen..."
You close your eyes, turning your head away, before looking back at her. That lump in your throat isn't going anywhere... "Yes, it is, but in this case... Mami," you take her left hand gently in both of hers. Her left hand, where her Soul Gem ring is. "Mami... our Soul Gems can keep us alive. Because," you swallow. "Because that's what we are now. This is where our soul is... now."
It takes a moment to sink in, her face going blank, and then switching to shock. "M-my soul... my soul... y-you're j-joking-"
You shake your head. "No. M-Mami, I-"
"K-Kyuubey woul-" She bolts midsentence, knocking the sofa over backwards and spilling you to the floor with a heavy thump. You hastily struggle to your feet and scramble after her, reaching the bathroom as she begins to empty her stomach into the toilet.
[] Write-in
=====​
This one was tricky to write.
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 25
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 5, 2014

- #11,115

You rush to Mami's side, dropping to your knees beside her as she heaves into the toilet. Ugly, fat tears stream down her face, running together, white knuckled fists supporting her agaisnt the edge of the toilet bowl. Gently, you brush her hair back, and hold it with one hand, while you rub her back gently with your free hand.
"Shhh," you say. "I'm here, Mami."
"I-I-" she's interrupted by another bout of vomiting, the remains of her lunch splattering into the toilet bowl.
"Hush," you say. "It's OK. It'll be OK."
You hope that you're not lying.
A fraction of your attention is kept on watching Grief boil into existence in Mami's Soul Gem, a dark reflection of her actual emotional turmoil. It's nothing dangerous yet, though, since you've been scrupulously keeping everyone's Gems clean.
Mami laughs, a choked, gurgling noise. "H-how c-ca-" This time, nothing but bile comes up. "M-my soul is in a r-r-rock-"
You cringe.
"But you're still you, no matter what Kyuubey did," you say. Another fraction of your attention lets you grab a towel by pinching it between two marbles, and you drop it into the sink, smacking the tap on with a marble, and off again a few moments later when you judge the towel wet enough.
You hug her tightly, both arms around her waist. "No matter what. You're still you, Mami. Still a good person. One who has an amazingly kind heart, one who always means well... a prodigy, who's saved countless lives and always does what good she can. My friend, Mami, kind and good and caring."
The blonde seems to have nothing left in her as she sobs against the toilet. You firmly tug her around to face you, and she collapses against you, throwing her arms around your shoulders, weeping into your chest. You stroke her hair, and continue to speak in a low, soothing tone, uncaring of the vomit and tears soaking into your blouse.
"There was no way you could have known," you say, and hesitate a little. "No with Kyuubey intentionally keeping it from everyone... and I am truly, truly sorry I had to break it to you like this. But you need... you deserve to know."
"K-Kyuubey- T-the girls I-I've-" Mami whimpers.
"It's not your fault, Mami," you say insistently. "It's not your fault."
"K-Kyuub-bey- M-m-my friend..."
"I'm sorry," you say. "More sorry than I could possibly say. But I'm here, Mami. I'm here for you, and that's not going to change no matter what."
"Why did you do that?" a familiar, unpleasantly sweet voice sounds in her head. "Tomoe Mami did not need to know."
You control your reaction, carefully craning your head around to look for the Incubator while still holding Mami tightly, letting her sob against you - though she doesn't seem to be about to stop. You finally spy Kyuubey, perching catlike on the sill of the bathroom window, red eyes staring down at the two of you huddled together.
[] Write-in
=====​
Ho-hum.
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 26
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 5, 2014

- #11,172

"You." White hot anger seethes in your voice and courses in your veins, and Mami flinches in your embrace. "Mami deserves to know the truth, you emotionless, deceptive little abomination. You used Mami all this time. You pretended to be her friend, and you've strung her along for years."
You can feel Mami wilt, every word almost a physical blow hammering down on her... And the only thing you can do is hold her, reassuring her that you're still here. She struggles weakly in your hug, and you loosen it a little, allowing her to half turn to look at the Incubator.
"Y-you're n-n-not denying i-i-it," Mami says, in an alien, raspy croak so unlike her usual gentle tones you only realize it's her by the movement of her jaw.
"No," Kyuubey agrees, jumping down from the window sill and slinking along the floor, prowling around you. "I would not deny the truth."
"T-the truth-!" Mami chokes out, burying her face in your shoulder as her sobbing begins anew.
"And you were never in any danger, were you?" you ask quietly, following its motion along the floor. Your voice drips with vitriol. "You pretended you were hurt... that you were in danger. But you never were, were you? You wanted Mami to worry about your 'life'. For her and Homura to fight. And all for what? More contracts."
A fraction of your attention is spent gathering a few more marbles from your bag outside.
"You are remarkably well informed," Kyuubey observes, stopping in front of you -behind Mami's back- and fixing an unblinking red stare upon you.
"Y-you- I-I-" Mami's barely coherent any more.
"Hush, Mami," you soothe, but feel compelled to explain a little. "Kyuubey... isn't really alive. His body can be destroyed, but he just... comes back."
"I am alive," Kyuubey corrects, tail continuing to lash furiously behind it in a sinuous, hypnotic motion.
"Whatever," you say, exerting your will. "Go away."
A wave of marbles closes in on the Incubator, bracketing it. It barely has time to dodge before the marbles slam into... and through it, tearing their way through the soft body and pulping it with stacatto, sickening little crunches. It slumps over in a little pile of white and red gunk with the consistency of jelly.
Mami flinches violently in your arms, twisting to look. "W-what... K-kyuubey!"
"He's not dead," you say grimly, even as you scoop up the remains and drop them out the window. "I haven't even seriously inconvenienced him." You switch smoothly to telepathy. "Isn't that right, Kyuubey?"
"You are an excellent actress, Sabrina," Kyuubey replies, though it doesn't physically reappear.
Mami chokes, muffled by your shoulder.
"Mami," you say. "None of this is your fault. Just... there's no way you could have known, no way you could have found out, and no reason to even suspect him. It's what he does."
"S-Sabrina," Mami asks. "W-what d-did... w-what d-did he mean? Y-you..."
[] Write-in
=====​
Fuck you too, coobie.
Threadmarks Undue Alarm pt. 27
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 6, 2014

- #11,387

Mami struggles weakly in your hug, trying to pull back. You keep your arms around her, though, not letting her go, and she eventually sags against you, shuddering sobs shaking her body as you continue stroke her back gently.
"I..." you swallow. "I knew, Mami. I don't know how, but I knew, right from the start. I..." you laugh bitterly. "For all that I knew, Mami, I had no idea how to tell you the truth, about the Soul Gem... or Kyuubey."
Mami's sobbing quietens - she's listening, at least.
"I knew you thought of Kyuubey as a good friend-" her only friend, "-and I didn't want to hurt you like... this. So I... pretended. I know they're horrible... and I had no idea how to tell you."
You sigh, and continue. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, for hiding this from you... but I'm your friend, Mami, from the beginning. Because I wanted to help, and because you are you, good, and kind, and caring."
"I'm sorry," you say again. "But... no matter what, I still want to help you. I'm still your friend, Mami, if you can forgive me."
A long silence, as your heart plummets.
"Y-yo-" Mami croaks. "I-I... I w-want to b-believe you. A-and y-you're a good p-person and I-I- please, S-Sabrina, I, I-"
"Shh," you hug her tightly. "Always, Mami. I'll be here, if you let me."
"Y-yo-" She struggles weakly, pushing herself away from you, and, wincing, you let her. Her eyes are wild even as tears course down her face, pale and drawn. "B-but, bu- y-yo- knew a-and you k-knew me and y-you-"
Her Soul Gem is a poisonous abscess of corruption, Grief bubbling into the world.
[] Write-in
=====​
mumi why
Last edited: Oct 6, 2014
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