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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 On a Rail pt. 8
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 10, 2016

- #99,602

You like it when she talks like that. She was passionate and happy and confident, a far cry from the Mami you know and more like the Mami she wants to be.
You... you do like it, and you open your mouth to say so-
And you choke yourself off, fighting back the blush that's already making its way onto your face. Too soon. Too soon, when just last night she was sobbing into your arms because she was terrified you'd leave her. She... Whatever her feelings towards you, you don't want to pressure her.
Not that way, not in a way that could be taken as flirting.
"Sabrina?" Mami asks, peering up at you in concern.
You shake your head, grin blossoming on your face. It's genuine, no matter the direction of your thoughts, for all that you were going to do something probably ill-advised.
You're happy, even for that tiny flash of conviction.
"You're right, of course!" you say, beaming at her. "If my attacks don't have fantastic names, then why bother? I might as well be one of those poor, sad people who don't name their attacks at all!"
"Um..." Mami looks at you, pursing her lips. "But you don't name your attacks, Sabrina." Something like horror flashes across her face, her eyes widening as her expression crumples. "S-sorry, I-" She reaches for you, faltering mid-way. "I, sorry, I'm sorry-"
Your stomach plummets.
"No." You pull her into a hug, holding her close. "No, Mami. You're fine. It was just a joke, and I'm not offended. I'm not leaving you."
Mami shakes her head wordlessly, stiff as a board in your arms.
And this is why you're so reluctant to do... anything. You bite back a sigh.
First and foremost, she's your friend.
You stroke her back in slow, soothing circles as her shivering slows down. You repeat your reassurances, crooning into her ears, calming her down. Hopefully.
"S-sorry," Mami whispers, finally wrapping her arms around you. "I just-"
"I get it," you whisper. She's afraid. You form a seat out of inert Grief, sitting and pulling her down beside you without breaking the hug. "But here I am, and here I remain, yeah?"
You pull back far enough to cup her face with one hand, giving her a smile. "I'm not going anywhere. But... Mami, I liked it when you started lecturing me. I like it when you sass me back. OK? Leaving you over that is the last thing I would do."
Heh.
Not that way, not in a way that could be taken as flirting.
Mami nods weakly. Her hair brushes against your hand, featherlight touches. "A-alright," she whispers, exhaling shakily.
"Good," you say, smiling and pulling your hand back. "Now, may I clean your Soul Gem, Mami?" At her nod, you do just that, a flex of your willpower siphoning off the Grief and crushing it down immediately.
"OK," you say, giving Mami a quick squeeze to reassure her. "Yes, I'm one of those poor, sad people who don't name their attacks - my words, not yours. So it's a good thing I have dear Mami to help me with it, right?"
She nods, and if her smile's a little strained... Well, that's neither here nor there.
"Now, the problem is that I want to make sure that my attacks are worthy of the awesome names that you come up with for them," you say, ruffling her hair. Your other arm stays firmly around her waist, a constant reminder of your presence. "I... Well, I dunno. Is this really on par with something like Tiro Finale?"
Mami leans into your hand. "Um..." she says, giving the still glowing puddle of slag a look.
You run a quick calculation or two in your mind, considering how much energy your laser put out. It's substantial, to say the least.
Heh. Eat your heart out, Ramiel girl. What was her name again? Koizumi Sasami, right. Then again, she wasn't actually firing lasers, was she? You could see her beams. Your beams probably aren't visible save by the thermal bloom and subsequent re-radiation on visible wavelengths.
... And of course, your beams are utterly lethal. Starlight Breakers they're not.
"I... I suppose not," Mami says, finally. "You could still give it a name! How about, um..."
"How about 'Luce Eterna'? Light eternal," you suggest, smiling. "I'll save Luce Finale for something that fits the name."
"Ah," Mami says. "I like that name. I was going to suggest 'Prima Luce', but that's good!"
"Hmm... 'First Light'?" you ask. "I like it. Uh... I'll think over it for a bit?"
Mami's smile is wobbly, but genuine. "Alright," she says softly, leaning against your side.
"Good," you say. "Also, Mami, did I zone out at all while doing that?"
"Um... you were sort of focused for a second or two," Mami mumbles, burying her face against your shoulder. "But I don't believe you zoned out."
... huh. Interesting. It seems like this was... mundane enough to not warrant you going into a full trance?
Or something of the sort.
You grin. "Then I'd consider that way more successful than anticipated, It... well, I had more planned, but hey, that makes the other stuff unnecessary," you say. You turn a bright smile on Mami. "Well, I guess I should have asked you back home, but hey - are there any old projects that you might have had? With your ribbons, or something?"
Mami blinks. "Oh- I have some ideas, but wouldn't you rather work on your own ideas?" she says.
"Nah," you say, with a shake of your head. "I had more ideas, as I said, but well... frankly, what I just discovered makes it all obsolete." You fiddle with a few stray strands of hair, tucking it back behind your ear. "So... yeah. We have a little time to burn, right? And I'm not implying you couldn't do it yourself, but I'd just like to help and-"
You shake your head. "Sorry, I'm, babbling again, aren't I. I'm just excited, really."
Mami smiles a little. Stronger, more genuine. "W-well, I... did have some ideas. Um... I never did manage to make myself fly properly with my ribbons, and, um, I've been working on and off about a way being in more than one place at a time?"
... Does she mean what you think she means?
"Go on?" you prompt with a smile.
"Ah..." Mami says, straightening up a little. "The biggest problem with flying was that it was always a bit too expensive, and I could never really visualise a way to make the wings work."
You snicker, and wiggle your fingers at her in a vaguely magical gesture. "Well~"
Mami smiles, dipping her head in acknowledgement.
"How about the other thing?" you ask. "Being in more than one place at a time? Actually, I remember you doing things in the kitchen from another room entirely, is it like that?"
"Um..." Mami says. "Maybe I could show you?"
"Sure," you say, beaming at her. You hop to your feet, offering Mami a hand and pulling her up to stand beside you.
"This will take a minute or two," Mami says. She takes a deep breath and holds out a hand, palm down. She frowns sharply in concentration, a veritable waterfall of golden ribbons starting to spill from the end of her sleeve. They practically shimmer, even to the naked eye.
Hm. Mami did say it would take a minute or two. You keep an eye on Mami, and her Soul Gem, simultaneously reaching out for Homura with your mind. "Hey, Homura," you say.
"Good morning, Sabrina," Homura responds, all but instantly. "Is something wrong?"
"'morning, Homura, and no, not at all," you say, eyeing the ribbons pooling and twisting at Mami's feet. "Just saying good morning to my friend! How was last night?"
"Last night was... fine," Homura allows, a faint hint of warmth creeping into her voice. "Madoka is safe."
"Great," you say. "And you?"
"I am doing fine," she says after a moment of hesitation.
"Good," you say, watching with interest as the ribbons surge upwards, beginning to take shape. "Say, Mami and I are testing our powers now, particularly, ah, destructive attacks. If you want to, you can join us, or Sayaka when she comes along in a while?"
There's a long pause, of Homura clearly thinking it over. "I do not want Miki Sayaka to copy my powers."
You're about to respond when Mami finishes her work, the shapeless mass of ribbons coalescing into...
Bright, blonde drill hair, that same corset and perfectly ruffled dress and huge, adorable golden eyes and-
Barely past your knee.
Mami's made a tiny, chibi version of herself.
The real Mami's still frowning in concentration as the tiny doppelganger raises its equally tiny arm to wave at you. "This is what I've managed to do so far," she says through the mini-Mami. "I've had difficulty making the clone any larger; the ribbons destabilise if I lose concentration."
[] GLOMP
[] Write-in
=====​
Gaslighting is an ugly, ugly thing. Also, do remember to get back to the name for the laser attack.
Last edited: Oct 11, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 9
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 14, 2016

- #99,961

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-" your squeal shades into the inaudible as you dive at Mami, sweeping up the mini-Mami into your arms and then the real Mami in one giant tackle hug. So cute so cute it's a tiny squishable huggable mumi not that the real one isn't squishable and huggable but this one is so tiny and so cute-
You crush both the Mamis in a gigantic bearhug. Mami laughs and hugs you back, swept up in your delight - and a tinier pair of arms hug you around your torso, too. You pick them both up and swing them around in a circle, squealing all the way.
"So cute so cute-"
You're babbling and somewhere in the back of your mind you remember Homura but there are more important things to consider right now. "SorryHomuthemostadorablethingishappeningrightnowtalkinaminuteortwobyeeee-"
You ignore the confused, "OK?" in favour of babbling at Mami. "How does- wow, just wow- can you see through it? How autonomous is it? Are you concentrating on the external appearance and-"
"Sabrina!" Mami laughs breathlessly, patting your hands. "I can't answer if you don't let me!"
"-how did you do this wonderful thing?" you run out of steam, still cuddling both Mamis close.
Mami's blushing, a bright, pleased rosy hue. "Um... Yes, I can see through it. It's not very autonomous, I can make it move like I can, but it can't make decisions on its own."
"Do you have to control every movement?" you ask, squeezing both Mamis.
"No," Mami says, shaking her head. "There's a... it's like my powers, I know how to drive it, does that make sense? It's more like playing a video game than walking it around myself, and I have to concentrate a bit on it to animate it." The chibi Mami wiggles in your arms, patting your face. "Like that!" she says, giggling.
"It makes sense, yes, and that is so cool," you enthuse. You pinch the chibi-mumi's cheek gently and squeal at the adorable little pouty face.
Mami pouts at you, too. "Sabrina, I can feel that..." she protests half-heartedly.
"Well," you say, abandoning the pinching to cuddle both of them again. "So cooooooool so cuuuuute-"
Both Mamis giggle, and nestle into your hug. "Um..." Mami mumbles into your shoulder. "I was actually trying to make a full-sized clone of myself, a while ago. I never managed to make a stable one, but I could consistently make a chibi-me work."
"Huh, that's pretty cool," you say, grinning brightly. "What else can you do with the chibi? You can see and feel through it, right?"
"Ah, the chibi-me can actually fight quite well? But it's a bit... limited," Mami says. "I don't really use it for much."
"But it's so cuuuuuute," you say, beaming at her. "You're awesome."
Mami blushes. "Thank you, Sabrina, but... I'm really not."
"Yes you are," you say, still beaming at her. "Look at this! Look at you! You're awesome, Mami."
"A-ah... thank you, Sabrina," Mami says, glancing down.
"That's better," you say, releasing the hug and carefully setting the chibi-mumi down. It -she? It is Mami, after all- blinks up at you, the blush and smile on her face mirroring Mami's.
"Anyway," you say, rubbing your hands together. "Before I forget or get distracted again, Mami - I think I'll use your name for the laser. It's my first one, so 'First Light' works quite well!" You can't help but wonder if that niggling little feeling in the back of your head that says Mami even named her kicks -Flawless Leg of Gold!- is true.
Mami beams at you, clasping her hands together. "A-ah, thank you!" she says.
"No, thank you," you say, smiling right back. "Hmm... Honestly, the problem with Prima Luce is that I... really don't know how safe it is. Or, well, it's an attack, it's not meant to be safe, but it should be safe to use, you know? I'm not sure that it is. We have to shield ourselves to use it."
Mami nods seriously. "When I was beginning to experiment with it, my muskets frequently burst on firing."
You wince. "Hope you didn't get hurt?" you ask. At the same time, you reach out for Homura, since you're no longer squealing over the chibi-Mami which is so cute. You reach down and pick it up again, cuddling it like a teddy bear. "Sorry 'bout that, Homura, Mami just showed me she can use ribbons to make a chibi-doll of herself and it's the cutest thing."
Mami shakes her head, smiling. "I took safety precautions, too," she says.
"... I see," Homura responds in a tone that clearly says she doesn't.
"You'll get it if you see it. And you will, if you come along? I'd like it if you and Sayaka got along better, and just being present would help. You don't have to let Sayaka copy your power if you don't want to," you tell Homura, while giving Mami a smile.
You put the chibi down again, and watch as it pads -as Mami makes it pad- off to look at the still cooling puddle of metal. You drape your arms around Mami from behind, the chibi stumbling for a moment as her concentration's interrupted by the surprise hug.
"So, Mami," you say. "Do you have any ideas for improving Prima Luce?"
Mami chews her lip. "It's a laser, right?" she asks. "Ow, hot- Um. Is there a way you could project the heat and the, um, glare in one direction? Maybe with a barrel of some kind?"
Homura projects a mental sigh at you. "I'll be there."
You shake your head in response to Mami, grimacing. "Not exactly," you say. The chibi-Mami pokes gingerly at the fragments of glass surrounding the melted engine block. "The problem is that the air is heating up and re-radiating the light, so it goes in all directions, including back towards us even if I'm shooting it purely forward."
Speaking of shooting, an idea occurs to you. "Actually, Homura, are you any good with paintball guns? Or airsoft? Anything non-lethal. I think Sayaka could use some experience for when an enemy simply doesn't let her close to melee. Neither Mami nor I are really good for that."
Mami nods slowly. "Ah, that could be a problem..." she says. "You could always use it when we have a bunker, right? Like what you made with Grief for Sendai?"
"I have airsoft guns," Homura agrees. Maybe it's your imagination, but her voice seems a little more interested.
You should probably not be encouraging Homura to shoot Sayaka, but then again, there's harmless catharsis, right?
... Right?
"Great," you say. "You can come along whenever, alright?"
You tuck your chin on Mami's shoulder. "Ooh, you're right," you agree. "That would work! Would be nice to be able to deploy it normally, though."
Mami nods. "Then either you need to make it safe for us, or we need a signal to know when you're going to use it," she says. A teasing smile appears on her face. "Such as shouting its name."
"That's true," you say. "Is that why Tiro Finale has a name?"
Mami shakes her head. "No, it has a name because names are important."
You laugh, hugging her tighter. "Right, of course." You pause. "Hey, there's an idea," you say. "If I figure out a combination attack with you, we can call that something-Finale!"
"Oooh," Mami says, eyes almost sparkling at the idea. "That would be great! Hm... I wonder what we can do for that?"
"Hm, I wonder if I can reinforce the Tiro Finale cannon?" you say speculatively. "Is durability a problem with it?"
Mami shakes her head, her hair drills tickling your nose. "Not anymore," she says. "But..." she chews her lip for a moment. "Do you think you could handle a firing mechanism?"
"Probably?" you say.
"Fully automatic?" she hazards.
"... Probably?" you say, a slow grin starting to break out on your face. "Mami, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"... Probably?" Mami says, imitating your inflection, right down to the pause.
You laugh, and poke her cheek with one finger. "Repeating Tiro Finale?"
She nods. "Mmmhm!"
"That is the second best idea," you declare. "The best one being the chibi-Mami, of course."
Mami nods solemnly. "I'm glad you think so, Sabrina," she intones, just as grave.
You manage to hold it for a minute before dissolving into giggles, releasing Mami so you can laugh.
Mami starts to giggle, too, as the miniature her pads up with something shiny in her hands, which she holds up to, well, herself. Mami takes the thing, tucking it into her pockets.
"H-hey," you manage. "Should I try making a chibi too?"
Mami pauses, her eyes going wide. She starts nodding vigorously. "Yes!" she manages. "Yes, you should!"
[] Write-in
=====​
Next vote will be Good morning Mitakihara, as well as Homura arriving - please write-in for those!
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 10
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 20, 2016

- #100,543

You huff in amusement, arms still draped around Mami from behind. She bumps her head gently against your cheek. The smile on your face matches hers, really.
"So, a chibi-me," you muse. "Iiiiiit might be kind of Witchy."
Mami's smile fades for a moment, but only a moment. "It's alright, Sabrina," she reassures you. "I'm getting used to it. It's... if I concentrate on how it feels, I know it's you, not a Witch, so it's alright."
A tiny pair of arms hug you around your calf. You giggle, releasing Mami for a moment to pick up the chibi and put it on your head. It wobbles a little before managing to balance properly, both arms stuck out to help.
Mami giggles as you pull her back into a hug. From the feel of the shifting weight on your head, the chibi her is looking around. "It's so high up here~" she observes.
You snort in amusement. "Well, here we go," you breathe. "Unleash... the chibi." Your eyes fall shut, half meditative as you reach for your power.
What you want is... simple. A miniature version of yourself. You think of Mami's chibi, an adorable little version of her, possibly the predecessor to her full body duplicate. Your power stretches, moulding and twisting and sculpting a whirlpool of Grief.
You open your eyes.
You open two sets of eyes, even as the sensation of Witch, Witch, Witch! presses on your mind. And you look at Mami from two points of view - one barely knee high, and another at the usual height. An identical smile spreads across both your faces.
Mami blinks down at you, eyes going huge.
And then she squeals, and reaches for you, two giant arms sweeping down from the sky to grab you even as you laugh and release Mami from your own hug so that she can grab you and cuddle you to herself.
"So cuuuuuuuuuteeeeeee!" Mami squeals, delightedly squeezing the life out of you. The miniature you. It's a good thing that you -well, your chibi- doesn't actually need to breathe. Instead, you bump your tiny head under her chin.
You laugh, throwing your arms around both Mami and yourself, the Mami on your head pitching forward with to hug your head from the top. You -the chibi you- squirm out of Mami's hug and clamber onto her head, opening your arms to the chibi-Mami in invitation.
Mami blinks at you in surprise, turning in your arms to face you, and then she laughs. The chibi-her throws her arms around you too.
"Oh, Sabrina," Mami gasps through her chibi, grin wide on her flushed face. "That's amazing."
"No," you respond in the same way, grinning at her. You kick your feet gently, trousered legs ruffling Mami's hair. "You know what's amazing? You did it all the hard way. I have to cheat, and I just copied what you did."
Mami shakes her head in quiet disagreement, nearly dislodging you from your perch atop her head. So you naturally take the opportunity to cling tighter to her chibi, giggling happily. And just to be fair, you hug Mami closer, too.
A quiet cough interrupts you.
You twitch, arms tightening around Mami as you flinch from the sudden presence beside you.
Homura raises one eyebrow at you.
You cough, and point to your head. "Chibis."
"... I see," Homura says.
"... they're cute?" Mami offers, looking a little sheepish.
Homura gives the chibi Mami balancing on your head a considering look. "... I see," she says.
You cough awkwardly. "Anyway, yes," you say, releasing Mami and stepping back. You keep ahold of chibi-Mami, though, making yourself comfortable on Mami's head and cuddling her chibi. "So, uh, I was going to say before I got distracted, that Homura was coming. But, uh." You rub your nose with an abashed grin at Mami. "You can see that."
Homura sighs, eyeing the chibis with a curious eye. She steps closer to Mami, poking your face with a finger. You swat her hand away with one stubby arm. "Hey, I can feel that."
Mami shakes her head, smiling. "I won't complain," she says, happily nuzzling against you with her chibi.
"How far can the chibis go from you?" Homura asks, meeting your eyes.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure mine's subject to the same hundred meter limit," you admit. "Mami?"
"I haven't tested that properly, but I easily made it a kilometer last time I used the chibi to scout?" Mami offers. "I just have to keep extending the ribbon."
Homura nods, settling back. "I see. When is Miki Sayaka coming?"
"I'll be, um, calling her in a bit," you say. "Though I wanted to discuss what we could train her on first?" That's not the only thing you want to do, but you'd missed your opportunity to greet Homura as a pair of chibis tinkering on a giant automaton. Then again, the option to do that to Sayaka's still open.
Homura nods slowly in agreement. "You said we were going to work on ranged training for Miki Sayaka," she notes.
"Right," you agree. "She was too eager to rush into melee yesterday. And with you here, we could do a two on two, and cover some teamwork too? What do you think, Mami? Homura?"
"That sounds good," Mami says, flashing you a smile.
Homura nods, face impassive.
You grin. "Then it's time to wake everyone up," you declare, and extend your telepathy. "Goooooood morning, Mitakihara!"
"Your radio station stinks!" Sayaka responds immediately. Homura visibly bites back a sigh, stalking over to a somewhat less rusty car. After giving the hood a prim once-over, she sits down clearly willing to wait.
"Sayaka!" Madoka says reprovingly.
"I'm entitled to be grumpy about being woken up at six on a Saturday," Sayaka says.
Mami smiles, patting you on the shoulder. Her chibi, still perched on top of her head, gives you a hug. "Sabrina's very sorry about it," she says. "She worked very hard to make cupcakes to apologise!"
You give your bag a surreptitious pat to make sure the cupcakes are still safe within. Thankfully, they are.
"I did," you affirm.
A lazy yawn filters into the chat. "Good morning, everyone," Hitomi says. She sounds sleepily rumpled, somehow.
"Good morning, Hitomi!" Madoka says.
"Ah, right, 'morning, everyone," you add, to a chorus of hasty greetings from your friends. Even Sayaka.
Heh.
Ingrained manners.
"Everyone good for the picnic, by the way?" you ask. "And Sayaka, you're good for the training?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka grumbles. "Eating breakfast right now."
"Cool," you say. Listening with half a metaphysical ear to the morning chatter, you open up a channel to Sayaka. "Hey, Sayaka, sorry about the early wakeup. I just kind of screwed up and panicked a bit."
Sayaka groans. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just grouchy," she grumps back at you.
"Yeah, but uh, just to make sure - Clear Seeds can dump the Grief inside them into normal ones on contact," you explain. "And, uh, that's not normally an issue, but a normal Grief Seed can overfill and rehatch the Witch. I'm very, very, very sorry about not mentioning it earlier."
Sayaka's silent for a moment. "Ugh, fine, I see why you were worried," she says.
Mami's chibi tugs your sleeve, pointing at the ground, and hops off Mami's head. You leap after her, landing carefully on your stubby little feet and following the miniature -Mamiature? Nah, too awkward- over to your own legs. The chibi sits down and hugs your calf. You promptly hug the mini-Mami from behind.
"Yeah," you say. "So, yeah. Sorry."
"Meh," she says. "Let me sleep in tomorrow and we're good."
"Heh, right," you say. "Anyway, see you soon?"
She makes an inarticulate noise, and dips back into the main conversation. "Madoka, are we meeting up for homework before the meeting?"
"Ah, yes," Madoka agrees.
You flash a smile at Mami, still only half paying attention to Mami. "Hey, Mami? I need to make a phone call - see if we can invite Nagisa along as well?"
Mami tilts her head, smiling at you. "Alright," she says.
You pull your phone out of your pocket, taking a step away and dialling Shin's number. Mami's chibi follows you, still hugging your calf, and of course, you follow.
"Hello, this is Momoe Shin." Nagisa's uncle picks up a few minutes later.
"Good morning, Mr. Momoe," you say. "This is Sabrina."
"Ah, Sabrina!" the man responds. "How can I help you today?"
"Well, I was wondering if Nagisa could come to the picnic later today," you say.
"Hm... Ah, yes, you mentioned it," the man says. "Who's going? Where and when is it?"
"Uh, my friends - you met us all the other day, right? Myself, Mami, Madoka, Homura, Sayaka, Hitomi," you say. Mami catches your eye and gives you an encouraging smile. "Possibly Kyousuke as well - he's a friend of ours. We're going to that big park, Gokai Park? Four thirty today."
"Hmm..." Shin says. "I'm double-check with Nagisa, though I'm sure she'd be happy to. I'll message you later?"
"Sounds good," you agree, watching as Mami approaches Homura and seems to ask her a question. "Thank you!"
"No problem, Sabrina," the man says, a hint of warmth in his voice. "You were a friend to Nagisa when she needed it."
"I was glad to," you say.
"Nevertheless," he says. "Is there anything else?"
"Nah, that's it," you say. "Later!"
"Goodbye, Sabrina," Shin responds, and hangs up.
You glance down at the mini-Mami, reaching down to ruffle her hair, and then pick her up. You scramble up your arms, so that you're cradling yourself and the chibi-Mami in your arms as you rejoin Homura and Mami.
Homura has what looks like an old revolver laid out on the hood of the car, half disassembled as she shows Mami the insides.
Mami looks up at your approach, beaming at you. "Hi," she says.
"Hi!" you respond. "What's happening?"
"Ah... well, I was thinking, it might be easier for you to replicate the mechanism if you had something to work off?" Mami says, pointing at the disassembled gun. "Do you think a revolver would work? Or would something automatic work better?"
"Eh... I think I could work with a recoil mechanism," you say. "Like an M1911 or similar. But I think that at the kind of masses we're working with, something like naval artillery might be best."
There's an interested gleam in Mami's eyes. "Battleship artillery?"
"Yeah, a powered loader," you say.
Homura frowns. "Before that," she says. "We are doing teamwork practice, right? Two versus two?"
"Yep, that's what I was thinking," you agree.
She nods. "I volunteer to team up with Mami."
[] Write-in
[x] Offer to try working on a tandem attack with Mami. Start by seeing if you can cooperate to make a automatic firing mechanism compatible with Mami's muskets. Look into what she actually uses for propellant, and how she wants to feed the ammunition.
-[x] If it works, try with a scale model of Tiro Finale, to work out placement of various components, before scaling it up to full Tiro Finale size. Keep in mind the fine control you have over grief, and abuse it liberally to avoid issues common to big guns.
-[x] Confer with Mami on other possible things that can be improved with a combination design. Applying additional electromagnetic acceleration, maybe, if she can make her projectiles conductive, or with a conductive sabot?
--[x] If you do fire it, aim downward, because the ground is pretty much the only backstop that can withstand this thing. Take appropriate safety precautions.
--[x] Let Mami name it.
=====​
OK, so, actually working on the cannon is getting pushed back to the next update. Sayaka'll be arriving soon, too, so vote accordingly.
Last edited: Oct 23, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 11
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 26, 2016

- #101,276

You blink with both sets of eyes. "Uh... Hm," you say, giving Mami a look, trying to gauge her response. "I'd be OK with that if you are, Mami?"
Mami bites her lip, glancing at you.
You give her a smile, even though some part of you is internally cringing about how hard this is going to be.
On you, and Sayaka, of course. Two primarily melee fighters against the two most gifted ranged specialists in... probably all of Japan, at the very least. And since it's a spar, you wouldn't be using your Grief much. How did you put it to yourself earlier? Team Oh God They're Gonna Shoot Us versus Team Oh Yes We're Gonna Shoot You?
Yeah, sounds about right.
Mami takes a shaky breath. "Well, it's just training," she says, seemingly to draw strength from your approval. "I'm sure it'll be alright."
Somehow, you have a feeling she'll be going after Sayaka for the most part. Which unfortunately leaves Homura for you. Then again, Homura does seem rather interested in shooting Sayaka a bit, too. Which you've already gone over and rationalised as harmless catharsis for her.
...
Right?
Right.
... Which leaves both Mami and Homura targeting Sayaka.
Really, you might as well tell Sayaka to draw their attention, and make it a self-executing plan.
You smile at her, shifting your arms so that you can scramble to the floor and scamper over to Mami. "That's settled, then. Though, uh, if that round goes as quickly as I expect it will, maybe we can shuffle the teams for the next go around?"
You put your arms up, opening them to Mami, who can't help but laugh and pick you up to hug. Of course, you've got Mami's chibi still safely cuddled to your chest like a teddy bear. You grin at her. "I mean, Grief lets me take hits, but I need the training too. Better to never be hit than to have to defend against it, right?"
Mami smiles back at you, seemingly soothed. "Alright," she agrees. "Good idea, Sabrina. Um... We're working on the combination attack while waiting, right?"
You grin. "Oh yes," you say, walking over to Mami. "I thought of a name for it, too. How does 'Cannone de Picchio' sound? Woodpecker cannon."
Mami mouths the words to herself for a moment. She brightens. "I like it!" she says. "Oooh, it's not that easy to shout in the heat of the battle, either, so we'll need to practice it. After all, it's a combination attack, and we'll both need to shout it clearly-"
"Maybe it would be better to actually attempt the attack first?" Homura suggests, one eyebrow raised. Despite her words, though, there's no real admonishment in her tone.
Mami huffs, affronted. "Names are important!" she says, turning to Homura. "Nevertheless..." She shakes her head. "You're right, Homura, we only have until Sayaka gets here."
You beam. "Let's get started, then," you say.
Homura reassembles the revolver, and produces a more modern pistol from her shield instead. A Desert Eagle, to be precise. She lays out a small cloth on the hood of the car and disassembles the hand cannon with swift surety, snapping the pins out and setting the parts down with a click.
Both you and Mami watch with bright-eyed interest as she explains the pieces - you know what they are and how it works, granted, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting or relevant to listen to Homura's curt, matter of fact voice dissecting the inner workings of the gun.
"Hey, Mami, do you actually use propellant for your Tiro Finale?" you ask as the mini lecture comes to an end.
"Yes and... no," Mami says, carefully setting you down on the hood of the car. You take the opportunity to inspect the disassembled Desert Eagle from a much closer vantage point. "I make the propellant out of ribbons. I coil up a lot of very small ribbons, like so-" she holds up her free hand, a tiny knot of gold forming. It's no larger than a grain of sand. "And then..."
The knot... explodes, tiny, tiny flakes of golden ribbon bursting into the air with enough force to shove Mami's hand down. Mami shakes her gloved hand out like she's been stung, giving you a rueful smile.
"... Huh," you say, blinking. "That's seriously cool. Why do you need the flintlocks and hammer, then?" You frown, imagining the firing mechanisms of her muskets and cannon.
"Oh," Mami says, colouring a touch and twining her finger through one of her hair drills. "I find it helps me visualise properly. And, well... itlooksbetter."
You chuckle. "As good a reason as any," you say. Finished with your examination of Homura's gun, you scamper back over to yourself. On a whim, you stick your arms out like an airplane as you run across the hood of the car.
Mami ducks her head, smiling shyly at you. "Do you think you can make the mechanism?" she asks.
"I think so," you agree, setting the chibi-Mami down so that you free your hands. Of course, that lets you immediately pull her into another hug. "I can start with a revolver, maybe?"
Mami nods in approval, watching you with interest.
You exhale, and call Grief to your hand. You notice Homura watching intently, eyes on her hand as you dissolve the Grief into deep purple wisps and reform it, piece by piece into a somewhat oversized revolver mechanism. With a trigger, even if you don't really need it. As Mami says, it looks better.
And besides, Mami needs the trigger.
Without saying a word, Mami reaches over to cover the mechanism with her hand. Ribbons twist and writhe between your palms, spiralling and snapping into shape as the barrel and stock in her signature filigreed style.
"All yours," you murmur, grinning at Mami.
She smiles back, taking the- well, it's a proper rifle now, isn't it? Mami's muskets, despite the name, have always been rifled, and this is technically a revolver rifle. You can feel the Grief inside, inert and solid, but in this case, you don't need anything more.
"I think this works," she says, flipping the cylinder out and checking that it's loaded before raising it to her shoulder. She keeps the muzzle pointed down 'range', aimed at a pile of junk and very definitively away from you and Homura. "I'll try a few test shots, alright?"
"Go for it," you say, giving her a thumbs up. Homura nods.
She shoulders the rifle firmly, tightening her grip on it. A single exhale, and she tightens her finger on the trigger. The rifle booms, and a shot slams into the hood of a car. It punches clear through the metal. You can feel the mechanism as Mami works the trigger, shots hammering home with unerring accuracy - and you can feel Mami forming new ammunition within the chambers as it spins.
After about fifteen shots, Mami lowers the rifle, smiling in satisfaction. "I'd say that's a success!" she declares, holding the weapon out to you.
"It is!" you agree, bouncing on your toes as you take the gun. Homura peers at the rifle, interested.
Mami pauses, frowning. "How am I supposed to fan the hammer if I'm using both hands to hold it?" she muses.
"Simple," you say. "That's my part."
"Ah, right!" Mami agrees. "That would take a lot of practice to get in sync, though!"
"True," you allow, setting the rifle aside for now. "Um... I suppose this really was the simplest one we could have started with, after all. We could try the naval artillery version next? Or do we want to try the full sized one first?"
Mami sets the rifle down on the hood of the car. "I think we should keep the full sized version for when we figure out the mechanics," she says.
"OK," you say, holding your hand out and summoning a new blob of Grief. "Naval artillery version, then!"
You take a moment to concentrate and shape the Grief. In some ways, this one's a lot simpler than the revolver mechanism - you don't need to worry about precision meshing of gears and levers and whatnot. Just breechblock and chamber seal and sliding arms for the ammo you don't even need motors for. Pure Grief actuation.
Mami watches as the mechanism takes shape, pressing her hand over yours once more to form another rifle. This one has a more... conventional looking clip protruding from the bottom of the rifle, hewn from Grief. You purse your lips, and add your own decorations to it in imitation of Mami's signature style.
"Of course," you note. "This is fully automatic, and there's no need to fan the hammer. Even though that's seriously cool."
Mami giggles, taking the newly formed weapon in hand. "That's true," she agrees, already turning towards the much-abused target.
"May I try the other gun?" Homura asks, gesturing at said rifle.
"Ah?" Mami glances at Homura, then you. At your nod of affirmation, she beams at Homura. "Of course, Homura! Let me load that for you..." She flicks her hand, palm out, at the gun.
Homura picks the rifle, weighing it in her hands as she steps up beside Mami. Without any ceremony, without even shouldering it, she empties the cylinder. The long thunderclap echoes around the junkyard as Homura lowers the gun, almost looking smug.
Mami giggles. "That's one way to do it," she agrees, raising her own rifle. She tightens her finger on the trigger, the first shot slamming down range. It only takes a sliver of attention for you to actuate the mechanisms, slamming the breech block open just in time to snatch a new round into place and reseal the chamber, over and over and over and-
You can't help but notice the muzzle climb, the way Mami's unused to dealing with the recoil of automatic fire, but that's OK- you already have Grief right there, and a touch of will steadies the rifle, halting its upward pivot.
The noise is less a thunderclap and more a buzzsaw going into steel. Homura takes a step back.
When Mami finally releases the trigger, she's beaming from ear to ear. She rounds on you. "That was perfect, was it hard on you, Sabrina? I know you were handling the loading, and I was pushing as hard as I could to make more ammo, but you didn't say anything-"
You catch her hands, laughing. "I'm fine, that wasn't any trouble at all!" you say. "That was completely manageable. Were there any problems on your end? I noticed the muzzle climb, so I was steadying that out, I hope I didn't throw off your aim?"
Mami shakes her head. "No, I- this is only an intermediate step, I don't think I'd use this for something this small, but I think that the Cannone di Picchio will definitely need the steadying, we don't want that to go off target, right?"
You nod, and you're just about to reply when you feel a presence entering your detection range. "Yes, definitely!" you say. "And uh, Sayaka's here."
Mami giggles, adrenaline evidently still running high as she lets the rifle hang loosely at her side. "Oh, that was amazing!" she laughs.
Homura nods slowly, eyes distant. "This seems useful, especially if full sized," she notes.
"It does!" Mami agrees. "I bet this could annihilate even the biggest Witch. Maybe even-" She pauses, frowning. "Maybe even Walpurgisnacht."
"We'll have the opportunity to test that out," you agree. "Assuming we don't come up with something even better in the meantime." You can't help but think of an elsewhere and an elsewhen, where Mami made what was not... Well, she'd called it 'Tiro Finale', but you can't help but wonder if 'Nucleare Finale' wouldn't have been more accurate.
"Good morning, everyone!" Sayaka's voice rings out, bright and clear. The bleunette herself skids to a landing moments later, cape swirling around her as her boots scrape over the sandy ground. "Something feels kind of-"
Her words choke to a halt, one hand rising to point at you, still hugging the chibi-Mami. Her mouth gapes open, and you give her a cheerful wave with one stubby little arm.
"Chibis." All she manages is one strangled word.
You exchange a look with Mami, and then Homura, and start giggling. "Yes, chibis," you agree.
"Chibis!" the chibi-Mami agrees, nodding enthusiastically.
"... Chibis," Homura agrees, tone flat and almost monotone.
Sayaka makes another strangled noise. She throws her hands up. "God, fine, chibis. What next?"
"Training?" you offer. "Homura called dibs on Mami, so we'll be doing that for the first round, I suppose. Dodge training."
Sayaka wrinkles her nose, hands twitching a little as her eyes dart back to the chibis. "Figured you'd have called dibs on Mami."
"Homura was faster," you say, gamely fighting off a blush. You shrug instead. "Besides, it's only training, and only for a round."
"Riiiight," Sayaka says. "This is going to suck. Uh, I should copy someone's powers first, right?"
"Right!" Mami agrees, taking a step forward, which serves to distract Sayaka from the way Homura takes an almost imperceptible step backwards. Sayaka clasps Mami's hand for a moment, grimacing in concentration before nodding.
"OK!" you declare. "I suppose we might as well just jump straight into things? Cleansing first?"
Mami nods, giving you a smile and walking over towards you. "We'll be doing a free form spar," she says. "The boundaries are the inner fence of the junkyard, so feel free to take cover if necessary." She gives Sayaka a meaningful look. "Weapons only, minimal magic."
"Actually, I was thinking we could allow some magic?" you ask. "I've noticed Sayaka has this little... airstep, and I'd like to use my wings for maneuverability. Not the full-sized wings, of course."
"Ah... That sounds like a good idea, Sabrina," Mami says, ducking her head. She presses against your side with a hopeful look on her face, and you oblige her with a quick hug.
"Hmm... One last thing," you say. "Homura, Sayaka, you OK with Mami and I leaving the chibis up?"
Sayaka shrugs, giving the chibis another look. "Sure," she says, trying for nonchalant but not quite succeeding.
Homura nods. "I'm alright with that," she says.
"Excellent," you say, separating from Mami's side and moving over to Sayaka. "We ready?"
"No," Sayaka says, and turns to you. "Is there a plan?" she hisses, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
[] Write-in
-[x] Try and make sure Sayaka doesn't repeat the same mistakes Mami identified yesterday: In particular, tunnel vision and not considering approaches before taking them. Don't judge Sayaka, though - you're not infallible either, and there's things for you to improve on as well.
--[x] Within the rules of the spar, take it as seriously as possible - you'll need to if you want to have the slightest chance of success against Mami and Homura, and this is a learning experience for you too.
[x] After the spar, unwind and be a bit silly. Show Sayaka that you discovered yesterday that puella magi can shift outfits when they want to - kinda like how she recreated her cape, but on a bigger scale.
-[x] Cosplay as Shinki from Touhou, complete with wings.
--[x] If anyone specifically asks about the costume, tell them it's an obscure Touhou character.
=====​
Doooooooooooooooooodge!
Last edited: Oct 28, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 12
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Nov 2, 2016

- #102,097

"Well, uh-" you blink. A plan, a plan, you do need a plan and you weren't thinking about it. You mean, you're probably going to lose, since you're being limited out of your most potent fighting abilities. Your eyes dart around the junkyard, taking in the flat, sandy ground, and untidy rows of rusting cars and discarded machinery.
"Uh-" Your eyes flick back to Homura and Mami. "What counts as an 'out' for this match? Or are we going to count how many hits we take and total the score at the end?"
Mami purses her lips. "We'll be going with a score system," she says, nodding. "Or... Mmm, a score system, but every melee hit counts as ten - often enough, one good hit will be sufficient."
Privately, you think that one good ranged hit from Mami in particular would put most out of commission, as she's frequently demonstrated. Mami catches your eye, tilting her head a little and winking before flicking her gaze at Sayaka.
You nod, smiling back.
You'd probably be lucky to land one hit, anyway.
"Wait, you're going to be shooting us?" Sayaka asks, looking faintly worried.
"Airsoft," Homura says, dipping behind her shield and producing an... alarmingly realistic Desert Eagle.
Really, what is it about that gun that makes it so popular?
Homura catches your look and works the release, popping the magazine out and holding it for you to see that yes, that really is just an airsoft gun. Not actual bullets.
Mami beams at you for a moment, before it melts into uncertainty. "You're- you're alright with that, right, Sabrina?"
You smile warmly at her, taking a moment to cuddle the chibi-Mami for emphasis. "Yes," you say. "I am. I- Mami, it's good to see you confident and taking charge. So..." You offer her an upraised palm for a high five. "Let's all have a good spar?"
Mami nods, and answers the high five. "A-alright," she says. "We'll start ten meters apart?"
"Give us a few minutes to plan," you respond, flashing her a smile as you start taking a few steps back. "We'll signal when ready."
You're already drawing in Grief for the wings that unfurl from your back, midnight purple and roiling. Sayaka paces at your side, summoning a sword in her other hand. The early morning sun is just warm enough to be pleasant, light glinting from the surfaces of the hammer you pull from beneath your coat.
Mami gives you one last smile, before turning to face away. Homura follows suit a split second later, airsoft gun hanging loosely at her side.
You grab Sayaka by the cape and tug her behind another rusting car. She squawks and follows.
"Right, so," you start. "Do you think you can make a shield? You've got that whole knight motif going on, after all. Or, like - do you have any instincts for ranged defense that came with your contract?"
Sayaka grimaces. "Uh..." she grimaces. "I can try a shield?" She sets one of her swords down and holds her hand out, frowning. "I just have to want it, right?"
"Yeah, that's what seems to work for me," you agree. "Honestly, we're probably not going to win. But the point is for us to learn and to try new things, yeah?" You pitch your voice a little louder, making sure it carries. "Besides, they'll be using non-lethal projectiles, which'll sting, but we're not going to get hurt terribly much."
Sayaka nods, still frowning at her hand in concentration.
"OK, so, uh," you say. "Yes. You should have some kind of instincts for defense, becoming a magical girl seems to come with a nice package of them. I mean, I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like to me. It might not be a shield, it might be, like, slicing bullets out of the air or something, I don't know. Uh, for my part - well, when Mami fights, she can tell when attacks are coming without even looking. It's really cool, and I want to try it. No idea whether I can emulate it, though."
"No, no, I think I-" Sayaka's magic sparks blue, and a large kite shield materialises in a shimmering display of light. "Got it!" she says triumphantly, looking up at you. "Uh, I dunno about losing, but we're gonna try, right?"
"Oh, yes, we're gonna try," you grin, giving the shield a look. Blue and white, with a twisting border around its side. "Stay low, stay behind cover. Mami and Homura are probably the two most gifted marksmen in... probably all of Japan, at least."
She grins back. "Gotcha. I don't think I can do the bullet slice thing, but I can try it, maybe. I have a shield, though! Do we split up?"
You nod. "I'm volunteering as bait - as I said, I want to try the prediction thing."
"I'll try and... flank them, then," Sayaka says.
"Homura's somewhat weaker than Mami in melee, I think," you note. "If we can isolate either of them and both of us go after one, then we have a good chance at winning." You shift to telepathy. "Let me know if you spot an opportunity."
"Gotcha," Sayaka says, flashing you a confident grin and offering a gloved fist.
You fistbump her back. "Good luck."
"Same," Sayaka says.
You poke your head out from behind the car. "We're ready, Mami, Homura!" you call. "On go?"
Well.
"On go!" Mami calls back, turning to smile at you. Homura's violet eyes meet yours for a moment. "Three!"
You're a mage who's agreed to not fight with your magic.
"Two!" You add your voice to Mami's.
Eh. It's just a spar.
"One!" Sayaka grins in anticipation.
How bad could it be?
"Go!"
You bolt straight ahead. Distantly glimpsed is Homura, already breaking left. Mami's nowhere to be seen, with either set of eyes.
Though you probably shouldn't surprise her with surprise chibi hugs. That would be cheating. Instead, you just maintain the loose hug around the chibi Mami.
Sayaka's gone, dashing around an old refrigerator.
You can sense them, all of them. Glowing maelstroms of magic in motion. Mami's going high on her ribbon trapeze.
You jolt to a halt and throw yourself backwards. The wings bleed momentum as you yank yourself into the air.
A shot throws up puffs of dirt where'd you'd almost stepped.
Homura's swinging around. "Sayaka, your right!"
And then you're forced to dodge forwards, throwing yourself to the ground. You land on your shoulder and roll as shots crack down around you.
Mami is above you. You don't need to look.
You chance a quick one, anyway.
You spot her. She arcs lazily through the air, haloed against the morning sun. The light glints off her hair and highlights her flaring skirt.
Her musket's aimed right at you.
You drop to the ground. You land on your knees. To the side-
A tug of will on your wings hurls you to the left.
You can fly. She can't. Not yet.
Your feet scrape on sand. You let momentum coil you into a crouch. A powerful kick, and you're airborne.
Mami spots you. The spent musket's already falling away, a new one snapping into your hands. Already aimed at you.
Too far.
Split second's decision.
You could throw your hammer. You could dodge-
She fires.
You feel the impact against your left shoulder, a light tap. The musket ball explodes into clinging ribbons that stick in a tiny splash of yellow.
You're still soaring straight at her.
And now you're close enough. You swing your hammer in a flashing arc. Mami counters with her musket. Sparks fly from clashing metal.
Impossibly, Mami doesn't get thrown away. She twists and grabs the haft of your hammer with one hand.
You let her snatch it away, another one forming.
A swing and a hooking motion. You lock hammer against musket and yank. The musket goes flying, but it's already expended and Mami's already swinging a new one around-
You can fly. She can't.
You jolt away from her, wings flaring. Her muzzle tracks you, but you're too close, too fast, and now you get behind her as she falls. Her legs tuck in and she twirls to bring the musket to bear with one hand, but you're already swinging at her as she fires.
Sayaka's under fire from Homura. You can sense her ducking and weaving, Homura in relentless pursuit.
A twitch of your hammer smashes the barrel aside. Just in time for the ball to whizz past your ear.
You're grinning in exhilaration as you dive for Mami.
So is she, a bright, exhilarated smile on her face.
... she also has a fresh musket in her free hand.
You can't dodge... but she doesn't fire.
She winks at you, and tilts it away.
... oh, Mami.
You take the moment's reprieve to dart away. You cast an eye back to make sure she lands safely. She does, dropping into a smooth crouch as you dive for cover behind another rusting car.
Sweeping deeper into the confines of the junkyard, you keep a mental eye on Mami - she stands there for a moment, before breaking into a sprint. She's not after you.
"Sabrina!" Sayaka's voice. "Homura's alone, after me!"
You know that, but then again, you cheat. "Not for long," you snap back. "Mami's incoming."
"Right!" Sayaka responds.
You kick into the air, skimming close to the ground, so close you can smell the acrid tang of caked in oil and rust. You have to, or risk getting shot.
Around the next bend. Sayaka's holding still in your Grief sense, Homura a flitting, darting presence.
Tch.
You drop into a snap turn, reorienting on Homura, tracking her form. Around that corner in three, two, one-
You hurl yourself forward, hammer drawn back.
Trailing hair in a billowing, black banner, Homura emerges. Amethyst eyes widen in surprise at your presence and the muzzle of her gun snaps up-
That's fine.
You swing. Not at her, but at the ground. The spike drives home, slingshotting you into a pivot turn with enough gees to set your coat snapping out straight.
Just enough for Homura's shot to miss you. She hits your coat, but not you.
You hurl yourself into a power slide on the coarse sand. Both your legs drive upwards into a rising kick that meets only air as Homura's suddenly gone in a flash of purple-
Her airstep.
Which buys her enough time to nail you with a clean shot to your stomach.
Which- "Ow!" you complain even as you flip yourself into the air.
Homura doesn't respond, holding her gun up. A moment's grace period to you, apparently.
Behind you.
"Down!" Sayaka barks. You're already jerking to the side.
Just in time for a sharp bang to reach your ears. Sayaka's blade launches past you. Homura dodges easily, gun cracking with two snap shots that hammer home in the swirling white cloth of Sayaka's cape-
Which flutters harmlessly to the ground.
On your left.
Your instincts scream at you, and you obey with a twist to the side.
Not fast enough.
A shot tags your side, a splash of yellow ribbon. And then Sayaka's there with her shield, shots crashing against the metal.
You grin, and skim to the side, wings flared wide.
Homura. Shots hammer down on you. Two hit your back, others zinging by - you need cover, now-
An old metal table serves. You skid under it, inverting yourself, and you kick. The table goes flying. End over end, and your aim is good.
Homura skitters aside, pistol raised and still firing. Behind you, Sayaka charges Mami.
Your hammer swings up. You have a vague notion of deflecting bullets but you don't think you can succeed but what you do manage to do is hurl yourself at Homura. Her aim's off by a fraction thanks to the table, and- isn't she out of rounds yet? No, wait, airsoft-
She tags you again in your side.
The sound of clashing steel and Sayaka's grunts behind you. The roar of Mami's muskets boom in riposte.
And-
You catch the way Homura's hands blur and the spike of magic.
She's using her timestop to reload.
You're all but on top of her now, though-
You plow into her, hammer a gleaming arc. You pull the strike at the last moment, stopping just short of her side.
You grin at her. Point to you.
She catches your eyes. Her hands shift minutely, and she vanishes.
Reappearing a meter to your left, Homura gives you what you feel is a rather unfairly pointed look. You know it's a spar and you're both pulling your hits and abilities.
She seems to get the general drift, jerking her chin in Sayaka's general direction.
"I know," you say, rolling your eyes. You can sense Mami and Sayaka clashing. Sayaka's being driven back, and probably getting shot a lot, too.
You take off running. Homura's... well, she did shoot you in the back there, but hey, all's fair, right?
You hurtle towards Sayaka and Mami. This close, you can hear the ring of metal on metal, and the thunder of Mami's muskets. Planting your hand onto the roof of a car, you flip over the car and slam an axe kick-
A shot catches you in the leg. You go tumbling to the side with an undignified squawk.
"Sabrina!" Sayaka manages, before she's forced to dodge another fusillade of shots. The melee rolls away from you.
You're up and running in moments, surging forward to avoid a hail of shots from Homura. Mami snaps a shot at you even as she presses the attack against Sayaka with shot and musket. She's trying to keep you and Sayaka apart.
The shot forces you to skid to the side to avoid it. Your wings take you into the air, dodging Homura's shots by a hair.
A snap roll to the side gets you out of the way of another booming retort from Mami's muskets. Homura behind you in a flare of magic.
"Sayaka!" you call. "Gonna set up a shot for you! Homura behind me!"
Without waiting for a response you dive. You pour on every scrap of speed you can dredge out. Ahead of you, Mami duels against Sayaka, musket against sword - and then Sayaka sets her teeth and slams her shield into the ground.
Anvil to your hammer.
Mami's eyes widen, musket whirling on you. She tags you, but-
You crash into Mami, dropping your hammer in favour of tackling her. You go tumbling to the ground.
Sayaka yells and charges through the vacated space. Right at Homura. Her sword's a shining blur as she swings at the time traveller who's abruptly five meters to the right, pistol already levelled at a head of blue hair-
You're pinning Mami to the ground, and you can't get there in time, but then again-
"That's enough!" Mami calls.
Sayaka sags immediately, lowering her shield and letting the sword drop with a clang. Homura pulls her gun up and away with only a moments' hesitation.
Mami grins up at you.
You sit back on your haunches, and then hop to your feet before offering her your hand. She accepts it, so you pull her to her feet, and into a hug. She laughs, even as she nestles into your arms with a happy sigh.
"Good spar, everyone!" you say.
"Good spar," Mami agrees, raising her head and stepping back a little without releasing you from the hug.
"Says you," Sayaka grumbles, her tone belying the bright, exhilarated smirk on her face. "That was fun."
"Did you manage to land any hits?" you ask.
Sayaka gives you a sour look. "Nope. Got shot..." She frowns. "Seven times. Mostly by Homura." She jerks a thumb at the girl in question who...
Well, if you didn't know any better, you'd say Homura preens in her own quiet way.
... yeah, no, you're just being silly.
"Eight," you offer. "But I managed to tag Homura once, but then again, she was holding herself back, too."
"So were you," Mami points out.
"And so were you," you counter, poking her nose. Which reminds you of something. "Oh, by the way, I'm going to dissolve the chibi me, OK?"
Mami pouts. "Alright," she says. "I'll dissolve mine, too."
Sayaka makes a face. "Well, uh-"
"Mmm, Sayaka?" you ask. It was making her feel uncomfortable thanks to the constant Witchiness, you suppose.
She shrugs. "Nah. 's just that it's cute but it's weird to say that, since it's you."
You snort. "Well, that's the idea," you agree.
Mami tightens her arms around you. "It is cute," she says. "You can make it again later?"
"Not for the picnic," you say, pulling a face. You twist your will, dissolving your second body - and you're back to one set of sensations. "We're inviting Nagisa, remember?"
"Ah, that's a good point," Mami agrees. "That's a shame."
Sayaka snorts. "Madoka would probably actually get diabetes from the cute," she says.
You snicker. "Could be, could be," you agree.
Mami smiles at you. "What next, Sabrina?" she asks. "We still have time."
[] Write-in
[X] If/when the teams change up, try to avoid engaging Sayaka -- this is about dealing with ranged opponents. In actual combat situations it's unlikely that any melee-based meguca besides Kirika is going to pose a threat to you.
[X] After the spar, while everyone is cooling down, dissolve the chibi -- it's really not accomplishing anything except to make people feel witchy noises at this point, and you certainly won't be taking something like that to the picnic where Nagisa would see it -- and hug Mami. Thank her for helping you practice. Thank Homura too, and Sayaka. Ask how Sayaka feels/felt about what she accomplished/did in the spar, try to give feedback (especially praise wherever possible).
=====​
Holy shit, this update would not stop growing.
Last edited: Nov 3, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 13
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Nov 7, 2016

- #102,492

"Another round after a short rest?" you say, smiling around at your friends. "Also, dibs on Mami!"
Mami makes a pleased little noise and nestles into the hug. Homura, by contrast, snorts softly, eyeing Sayaka.
"Sounds good!" Sayaka agrees, smirking at you. She doesn't seem to have picked up on Homura's snort. She pauses, plucking at a splash of yellow on her skirt. "Uh..."
Mami snaps her fingers, and the clinging bits of ribbon melt away from both you and Sayaka.
You unlatch from Mami, twisting from side to side to work out some kinks from your back. "Also, I'm thinking that after this, we do one more match with Homura and I against Mami and Sayaka? That way we'll have tried every possible combination."
Homura nods in agreement, eyeing you for a moment, then Sayaka.
Speaking of whom... You walk over to Sayaka, offering her a grin and a hand. "Oh, and before we do anything else... Thank you, Sayaka," you say. "For being such a good teammate. Excellent teamwork and communication, and you set up some nice attacks, too."
"Thanks!" Sayaka says, face lighting up with a smile as she takes your hand. "You too."
"So..." you turn to Mami and Homura with a grin. "Our dear sempais, how did we do?"
Mami straightens, taking a breath. The effort to try and look serious is somewhat ruined by the pleased smile on her face, though. "I agree with your assessment, Sabrina," she says, nodding at you. "You and Sayaka worked well together. Though... You were both too reckless."
You nod. "I took a few shots I should have been able to avoid, a little too greedy in trying to close. In my defense, I was also trying to learn to do that..." You purse your lips. "You know how you're almost prescient in combat, Mami? I've seen you make shots before the target was even in sight. I was trying to learn that."
"Can't you sense us all, Sabrina?" Mami asks. "You don't need to predict when you can do that."
"Sure, but I have a range limit on my sensing," you say. "I might get sniped from outside that."
Mami, and perhaps not so surprisingly, Homura both nod. "That makes sense," Mami agrees slowly. "Still, if we're all together..."
You flash her a smile. "Yeah. It works best if you're around to cover my back."
Mami returns the smile, and turns to Sayaka. "Sayaka, you were too dependent on the shield," she says. "You shouldn't be trying to block the shots - in other circumstances, I could have used something bigger."
Loud, mechanical clacks draw your attention away, to Homura, who-
To Homura, who-
Well, of course she has a Barret. An M82 sniper rifle, to be precise, probably one of the most iconic sniper rifles in the world. Of course. The JSDF does use them, of course. Their special forces, at any rate. She effortlessly balances one-point-four meters of sleek, matte black steel and plastic on her hip, managing to look smug without changing her expression a single iota.
"... or that?" Sayaka manages weakly.
"... or something like that," Mami agrees. "The shield is an excellent supplement to your defense, Sayaka, but it shouldn't be the entirety of your defense, unless it can do something more than simply block."
Homura nods, and makes the rifle vanish.
Sayaka bites her lip, frowning in thought. "I..." she motions at Homura. "I'm not sure that gun could have gone through the shield, actually. It... feels like it's proof against something like that."
"I don't have to shoot the shield," Homura says in a cool, even tone. "If I hit you in the arm..." She trails off, giving Sayaka a meaningful look.
... Sayaka and limb loss. Heh.
"Point taken," Sayaka says, going a tad green.
"Actually, Homura," you say, waving your hand to get their attention. "You have a shield, too. Any tips to give?"
Homura glances down at her tiny buckler. "Different kinds of shield," she points out, raising it in front of her. "Mine facilitates my magic." A flare of purple light swirls around her, outlining the shape of a half dome.
"Huh, cool," Sayaka says, squinting at the shield.
"You're too stationary," Homura continues, as if she hadn't been interrupted. You barely note her hand's movement before she flickers, and-
The air shatters under the sound of a half dozen shots cleaving through the air, bracketing Sayaka. They hammer past her, bullets crashing into the car behind her.
The bleunette's eyes go wide and shocked.
"If you don't keep moving, it becomes easy to set up attacks," Homura continues, raising her hand to her hair. She hooks her fingers through the lustrous black strands, sending them flowing outwards like a midnight dark waterfall with a single, effortless flick of her hand that draws the eye to the silky-
You wrench your gaze away, sidling over to Mami instead. Madokami damn Homura's hair. Then again, Madokami would probably be the last goddess to damn Homura's hair.
Sayaka makes a strangled noise.
Mami frowns, shaking her head. "That was too harsh, Homura," she says. She softens as you bump against her side, leaning her shoulder against yours.
Homura shrugs. "Lessons tend to be," she says.
Sayaka rolls her eyes. "I get it. Really I do. You could have just told me, Homura." She glances at her shield, shaking it thoughtfully.
Homura shrugs again.
"Anyway..." you say, taking a half step forward. "Mami, I've been meaning to ask-" You indicate Sayaka with a hand. "Magical weapons and outfits and so on, right? If we want to change or make stuff, is it just a matter of willpower, or...?"
Mami smiles. "Usually, yes," she says. "You simply have to visualise what you need, in my experience. Within reason. There are certain limitations that can only be overcome by experimentation, and sometimes there are hard limits and, ah, mental blocks. But enough time and experience..." She motions at Homura, who nods.
"Hm," you say. "I've noticed that I can reshape my outfit with a bit of concentration, and obviously Sayaka has her shield. By the way, seat, everyone? While we discuss?" Your spare a moment of thought to shape Grief into some simple benches for everyone.
"Right!" Mami agrees, smiling. She checks the bench behind her and sits, patting the seat behind her and glancing at you. "However, I've found that the further you deviate from the, ah, existing theme, the less... instinctual it becomes to use."
"So my sword can shoot its blade, but I shouldn't try and make... I dunno, a grenade launcher?" Sayaka says, giving her sword a speculative look. She plunks herself down on the bench, kicking out her feet.
"Right," Mami agrees, leaning against your side as you sit beside her. "You're lucky, because you have a ranged and a melee option to expand on."
"Hmm... So I probably don't have a ranged option," you say, summoning a fresh hammer and laying it across your lap to inspect closely. It's just solid forged metal, gleaming and elaborately engraved. You absently trace a few of the lines with a finger.
Mami bites her lip. "Maybe you do?" she says, expression falling. "It's not impossible! But you might have a harder time learning to use it, that's all-"
You laugh. "It's alright, Mami," you say. "It's what I have my Grief for, and it's what I have you and Homura and Sayaka for, right?"
Sayaka grins at you. "Damn straight."
Mami colours a little, but manages to smile.
"Hey, on the up side," you say, pointing a finger gun at Sayaka. "You could probably stab your blade into something and then make it explode. Would be useful against bigger Witches, I imagine."
Sayaka frowns. "Hmm... you're probably right," she says, eyeing her sword.
"Most likely," Homura agrees, violet eyes meeting yours for a moment before glancing at Sayaka.
"Hng," Sayaka says. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. Proooobably not gonna test it in a spar, though."
"Yeah," you agree. "That's probably a good idea."
"Probably," Mami agrees, tone laced heavily with irony. "I think we can start on the next spar now that everyone's rested up a bit?"
Sayaka kicks her legs out and bounces to her feet. "I'm good for it!"
Homura rises, too, eyeing Sayaka.
"I'm good," you agree. "If there's nothing else that I need to pay attention to before the next round? Oh, and cleansing, of course."
Mami shakes her head. "No," she says, smiling at you. "That's it."
You rub your hands together, dissolving the benches and raising a hand. "Gems, everyone, for cleansing!"
With that done, you and Mami pull back a few steps. "I'll try and ambush Sayaka a few times," you murmur to Mami.
She nods. "Good idea," she says, throwing a look over her shoulder at Sayaka and Homura. "Let me know, and I'll distract Homura when you're doing that."
"Gotcha," you say. "I'm going to keep trying to learn that prescience trick, if you think that's OK?"
"Go ahead," she responds. "Though... I have to admit, it took me a very long time to learn it, myself."
"Fair enough," you respond. "Start the match?"
Mami smiles, and does just that. You give her one last fleeting grin, and then you're both focusing on the spar. You go after Sayaka - there's no point in fighting Homura when your particular weakness is melee.
The thunder of Mami's muskets and the soft chatter of Homura's airsoft guns is the backdrop as you clash with Sayaka. The first time, she doesn't notice you coming. A quick word to Mami as you close in, and her attempt at Mami's back is neatly ended by two bracketing shots from Mami and a tackle from you. You get in a neat, pulled strike at her head before backing off.
Of course, in melee, without the element of surprise, you're rather hard pressed, especially when Homura manages to spare a couple of shots to help Sayaka. Every swing of Sayaka's swords drives you back, until you finally disengage and go airborne.
You take the opportunity to coordinate with Mami and divebomb Homura. A fusillade of shots pins the time traveller in place for a moment just as you swoop from above to tag her.
Your next clash isn't nearly as swift - the surprise has Sayaka on the back foot for a second, but she keeps you grounded and manages to drive you away from Mami's supporting fire. Despite your training, you're still not terribly good at melee, and you end that clash with Sayaka's blade menacing your face. And then Mami's on top of you, and you're both charging at Homura in smooth tandem.
And so it goes. This time, you and Mami manage a win, by a bare point. Mostly through Mami's efforts, really. After a short rest, you start in on the final match for now, with the remaining matchup.
You turn your grin on Mami and Sayaka. "Last match," you say. "Let's have a good one."
Mami beams at you, watching as you and Homura back off.
This time, Sayaka manages to ambush you. Well, not so much an ambush as Mami raining down shots that sizzle past you while Sayaka leaps from behind a stack of old cars. You knew she was there, but she still manages to get to you, and then she's raining a flurry of chops and slashes on you.
Sayaka stays on you. Homura's only able to spare so much help - and Mami keeps her busy. No matter how you juke or disengage, Sayaka's on your tail in seconds. Even hooking her leg from under her and tackling her to the ground -you'll take that as a point, thank you very much- doesn't buy you much breathing room. She's on her feet in seconds and following you into the air in a burst of cerulean light.
The spar draws to a close with you being threatened once more by Sayaka's sword to your jugular. She drops the sword at Mami's call, stepping back and stretching.
"Good one!" she says happily.
You snort. "Sure, I got harassed halfway across Japan by you."
She shrugs, holding her hand out to you. "Hey, it's, uh, melee training for you, right?"
You roll your eyes, but you shake her hand. "How about you, Mami, Homura?"
"It was a good match," Mami agrees, offering her hand to Homura.
The time traveller doesn't hesitate, taking the proffered hand and shaking it firmly. "Good match."
You flop onto a flash-formed Grief bench, shaping ones for everyone. "Mnrghl," you grumble, stretching out. You're not tired, precisely. You're not sure you really get tired any more. Or at least, not very easily. Nevertheless, you feel the exertion, somehow, just enough feedback to know that you have been using your muscles.
Mami sits next to you and leans against you with a happy sigh.
Sayaka flops on a bench, and Homura sits primly on her own.
"Anyway," you say. "Sparring match aside, there's a few things I wanna bring up. First - Mami and I are heading out of town for a bit tomorrow to talk to a few groups of magical girls."
"Ishinomaki?" Homura asks, eyes sharp.
"Ishinomaki, Sendai, maybe Tokyo? What's-her-name-Ueda was supposed to get back to us, but she hasn't yet. Or was I supposed to get back to her? I think she was supposed to get back to me," you say, running your fingers through your hair. "But yeah. Sayaka, if you want, you could come along - I can check if they'd let you practice your power."
Sayaka scratches her head. "That sounds... cool. How long would you be headed out?"
[] Write-in
=====​
There is a separate thread debating Sabrina's last name. I'm mildly perplexed that it exists, but @LostDeviljho asked me to make a note of it.
Last edited: Nov 8, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 14
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Nov 12, 2016

- #102,852

"Uh..." you glance at Mami. "Four or five hours?"
Mami shakes her head, equally unsure. "It depends, really? I'm afraid I don't know them."
"Probably four or five hours, then," you say with a shrug. You raise your eyebrows at Sayaka. "We can always drop you back home if we do head to Tokyo?"
Sayaka scrunches up her face in thought. "Sounds good to me," she says. "Is- Homura, are you coming?" She turns to address Homura properly.
Homura shakes her head.
"Hng," Sayaka grunts. "Yeah, I'm good for it. Oughta be interesting."
"Probably," you agree. "Anyway, I've got one last thing to show you guys before I head off; I've got a new attack that, uh, has some potential for collateral."
"... Collateral?" Sayaka asks, raising her eyebrows.
Homura leans away from you, just the tiniest bit.
"I see that, Homura, and I'm insulted!" you say, waving a playful finger at her. "Though, uh, that said, if I'm showing you guys, we should probably get under cover."
Mami pats your shoulder. In retaliation, you tug on one of her hair drills.
"So... We gonna do this?" Sayaka asks.
You make a vague grumbling noise. "Yeah, yeah, I'll show you all how awesome it is. You better be grateful," you say, and stick your tongue out at her before hopping off the bench.
Guiding everyone behind a sturdy looking pile of junk, you set up the blast shields again to block reflections. "See that old car over there?" you say, pointing. "I'm gonna do a magic trick and make it vanish."
"Uh huh," Sayaka says, hunkering down beside Homura, who's giving the blast shields a dubious look.
Mami cuddles against you as you crouch.
"So... I call this Prima Luce," you say. A touch of will draws in Grief marbles, and you twist with your mind like so.
Light blooms, pure and elemental. Invisible light that barely dips into the infrared spectrum, but you can feel the way the Grief shapes light from nothing.
The air heats, moisture sucked out of it. Sayaka takes a shocked gasp as if the breath were driven out of her lungs, but she has the good sense to stay down.
And then heartbeats later, it's over. The scorching heat is gone from the air, and you dissolve the blast shields.
Levering yourself to your feet, you eye the molten puddle, red-hot and shimmering with residual heat. It clinks faintly as the extremities start to cool.
"So... yeah," you say, gesturing lamely at the former car. "That's Prima Luce. First Light."
Sayaka winces, rubbing her nose. "Holy crap, Sabrina," she says.
You huff an amused sigh. "The reason I wanted to show you is that, well, those Grief shields and stuff I used weren't just there for show," you say. "It's not a magic laser, it's a real one. Atmospheric diffraction and specular reflections are actually issues, and it can blind. If I ever have to use this in combat, well, yeah. I just wanted you guys to know just in case that happens, you know?"
"Holy crap, Sabrina," Sayaka repeats, shaking her head. "What are you planning on using this on, a tank?"
"Or maybe a Witch," you say. "Which... One moment, Sayaka?" You raise a finger, and reach out by telepathy. "Mami, Homura, I want to tell Sayaka about Walpurgisnacht right now, if you're both OK with that?"
"That's a good idea, Sabrina," Mami agrees.
Homura falls silent, her jaw tightening for a bit.
Sayaka glances between the three of you, fidgeting uncomfortably. "... Something up, guys?"
"Yeah, just hold up a minute, Sayaka?" you ask, giving her a smile. "Just a quick discussion." You return your attention to Homura.
She nods sharply. Reluctant, from the way her jaw tightens, but... It's permission.
You exhale. "Right," you say. "Let's all... Take a seat?" You reform the little benches again, calling a blob of Grief to your hand. "And... I'm going to make a privacy field. It's gonna be a bit Witchy."
With affirmations from everyone and a faintly worried look from Sayaka, you build the exclusion field. It takes the form, once more, of a green circlet with a golden jewel set in the middle, sitting on a little pedestal.
Sayaka winces as the sensation pulses out. "So what's with all the hush-hush stuff?"
"Walpurgisnacht," you say. "Homura, Mami? Do you want to take the lead on this one?"
Mami gives you an uncertain look before straightening from your side and launching into her explanation. "Walpurgisnacht is the Queen of Witches," she says. "It... It's a gigantic, very powerful Witch."
Sayaka puts it together all but immediately. "And it's coming to Mitakihara," she guesses.
Two slow nods, you and Mami all but moving in synchronisation. Homura remains impassive, though you can't help but notice the way her knuckles whiten on the edge of the bench.
"Thirtieth of April," you say. "The night of Walpurgis. It's a German festival."
"Well, shit," Sayaka hisses between her teeth. "So... what, it's going to... pull everyone into its Barrier?"
"It doesn't have a Barrier," Homura says. She isn't looking at you, nor at Sayaka. Not at anyone, really. "It manifests in the real world. When it does... it will destroy Mitakihara."
Sayaka pales. "I... I see," she says. "And we're..." Something seems to click inside her mind, cerulean blue eyes snapping to Homura. "That's why you're here, aren't you? You're here to fight it."
You can feel the pressure Homura puts on the bench as her hands tighten.
"In a manner of speaking," you answer for Homura.
Sayaka squeezes her eyes shut, rubbing at them with her gloved knuckles. "You should have said so," she mutters. "We're going to fight it?"
Mami nods firmly. "Walpurgisnacht is a threat to everyone in this city," she says. "Of course we're going to fight it."
"Alright," Sayaka says, opening her eyes. "What do we have to do?" She manages a grin at Homura. "Orders, Captain Ahab?"
...
She's not completely wrong. She has the good sense to not ask Homura what she lost, in any case.
"Be nice, Sayaka," Mami chides. "We train. We need to gather resources, Grief Seeds... Sabrina's working on getting us allies, too."
"And Homura hacked the local meteorological service," you add. "She tweaked their models a little bit so that they're going to wind up predicting a freak supercell storm on the day and evacuate the city."
Homura nods jerkily. "Walpurgisnacht is..." She grimaces, violet eyes cutting into you. "Kyuubey can't hear us, right?"
"Nothing at all," you confirm, gesturing at your Grief construct. "This is absolute."
She lets out a quiet breath, regarding Mami, then Sayaka. "Walpurgisnacht is overwhelmingly powerful. It's been hit with... battleship weapons before. It didn't die."
"Then we've got to hit it harder than that," Sayaka says, clenching a fist.
Homura doesn't say anything more, jaw tightening.
"Right, right," Sayaka says, gaze flickering over to you. "A giant Witch that wants to destroy the city... perfect for a magical girl show, eh?"
You snort, and straighten. "Well. Yeah. That's what I wanted to tell you," you glance at Homura, slightly worried, but she visibly pulls herself together, expression smoothing back into unruffled imperturbability. Mami tucks herself into your side.
"Oh, and one more thing," you say, patting your bag and pulling out the carefully preserved tupperware. "Here, I made you an apology muffin for waking you up this morning."
Sayaka raises her eyebrows, seizing the box eagerly. "Thanks! You know I wasn't really that upset, right?"
You shrug. "You're not complaining," you counter with a smirk.
"No, I'm not," Sayaka says, grinning as she holds the box up to the light. "Mami helped, right?"
"Yup," you confirm, nudging Mami in the side. She smiles at you.
A wave of your hand dissolves the privacy construct. You grin around at everyone as the tension ebbs from the air. "Anyway... Anyone want a lift anywhere?"
"Eh?" Sayaka asks, blinking. She cottons on a moment later. "Oh, you're offering to fly us? Nah, I'm good."
"That won't be necessary," Homura murmurs. You throw her an amused look. She gives you a flat stare in response and appears to choose to ignore you, raising her nose into the air. Just a bit.
Sayaka hops to her feet. "Well, I'm headed home for now!" she says, exaggeratedly casual. "Probably to the hospital after that!"
Mami giggles, leaning comfortably into your side. "I suppose we should head home, too?" she asks.
"Yeah," you agree. "See you two at the picnic later?"
"See you later," Homura agrees. She rises to her feet, expression calm and placid once more.
"Oh, Sayaka!" you call after the bleunette as she bounces out of the junkyard. "Hey, is Kwyjibo -uh, Kyousuke- bringing his violin?"
"Err... probably, why?" Sayaka responds.
"Ah, nothing, just a thought," you say. "I mean, he's good!"
"Yup!" Sayaka says. "Later!"
You smile at Mami, starting to head out of the junkyard, Homura trailing behind you.
[] Write-in
=====​
Lunch, food preparation to go!
Last edited: Nov 12, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 15
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Nov 16, 2016

- #103,082

You, Mami, and Homura amble along the streets, relaxed and at ease.
...
Well, you amble, setting an easy pace. Mami sticks close to your side, happily bumping her hip against yours every now and then. You smile at her.
Homura trails a step behind. She... well, she definitely doesn't amble. She strides, if anything, head held high and back rigid.
Eventually, of course, your paths diverge. "I'll be going this way," Homura murmurs as you approach a junction. You can't help but note that that direction would be towards Madoka's place, not hers.
"Later, Homura," you say, giving her a smile.
Mami waves. "See you later!"
Homura nods, departing across the road at her steady, measured stride.
Mami shakes her head, smiling softly at you. "She's going to Madoka's place, isn't she?" she murmurs.
You shrug. "Probably, yeah," you agree.
"Is she...?" Mami asks, trailing off meaningfully as the light turns and you cross the street.
You shrug again. "I don't think so," you say. "But I think she could be."
Mami tugs thoughtfully at one of her hair drills. "I see," she says.
You reach over and tug on the other, pulling it straight and letting it go. "Boing!"
Mami giggles, smacking playfully at your hand.
You grin at her. "Though really, I'm surprised and quite happy that Sayaka thinks better of Homura now," you say. The Captain Ahab thing was perhaps a little too on the nose, though, in some ways. How does she even know that particular bit of literature?
... Right, Mitakihara Middle School Syllabus. It deserves the capital letter.
"I was quite suspicious of Homura, too," Mami admits. "I should have known better."
You sigh, rolling your shoulders and tilting your head back to squint at the sun. You could check your phone, but that would mean you have to dig it out of your pocket. "Do you think we still have time to check in on the Mikunis?" you ask. "We could fly if necessary."
Mami's mouth twists a little. "Ah... we have time, yes," she agrees.
You give her a soft smile. "I'll be with you, of course," you tell her, sliding your arm around her waist and pulling her into a sidelong hug. "Just checking in with them, OK?"
"Alright," Mami says, managing to smile back at you. "I still... don't trust them, but I trust you, Sabrina. Though..."
You smile at her, tightening the hug a little as you direct your footsteps down a quiet alleyway. "Yes?"
"The Mikunis?" Mami asks.
"They're practically married," you say with a shrug. "Besides, imagine Kirika's face. Heck, imagine Oriko's face."
Mami gives this a moment of consideration as the two of you wallhop up the sides of the buildings. "... true," she concedes as you crest the rooftop in easy synchronisation.
"Anyway," you say, raising your hand and summoning Grief to form a platform. "We'll fly home really quick, grab a few cupcakes, and then head to their place?"
"No- ah, yes, I-" Mami's face twists. "Um, sorry."
"No," you say, smiling at her. "Don't apologise. What's up, Mami?"
"Um..." Mami says, raising her hands a little towards you. "Could you... carry me? As you fly?"
You blink. "... with my wings, you mean?"
Mami nods, giving you a nervous smile. "I'd like to see them a bit closer," she says. "Um. If that's alright? Sorry."
"No, no, I'd be happy to," you say, beaming at her as you step forward. "Er..." You bend over, looping one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back to scoop her into a princess carry. "Is this OK?"
Mami blushes a little. "Um... Yes," she says, shifting to get comfortable.
"Right. Right!" you say, wings blooming from your shoulders as you melt away Grief spheres. Mami squirms, craning her neck to get a better look at the twisting, fractal membrane slicing across the sky.
She blinks and looks away a moment later, smiling at you.
"Here we go, then," you say, crouching slightly and leaping for the sky, Mami held securely in your arms. She peeks over your shoulder, watching the wings with obvious interest.
"They don't really lift you, right?" she queries a few minutes into the flight.
"Not really," you admit over the thundering wingbeats. "They do, especially when I catch an updraft or something, but mostly, it's Grief manipulation."
"I see," Mami says, eyes bright.
The rest of your flight back home passes in silence, Mami watching with an eager gleam in her eyes. You do a quick check with Kirika as you swing by the kitchen and grab a few cupcakes before heading out again, Mami once more a comfortable weight in your arms as you head for the Mikuni residence.
Of course, your arrival isn't exactly inconspicuous, what with the wings and all. Kirika's pulling the glass door open by the time you set Mami on her feet, flashing you a grin and a thumbs up.
"Hey, Sabrina, hey, Mami," Kirika calls. She isn't quite her usual self, but she's a lot more energetic than the last time you'd seen her. "How're you doing?"
"Not bad," you say, deciding not to mention the picnic. "We brought fresh cupcakes!"
Kirika grins. "Didja bake them yourself?" she asks.
"Well, baked them with Mami," you say, nudging the blonde in question.
"Nice," Kirika says, flashing you another thumbs up. "Come in?" She turns away from you and starts to walk into the house.
"Is Miss Mikuni alright?" Mami asks, a touch hesitantly. "She isn't out to greet us."
Kirika's shoulders sag a little. "She tells me she's fine," she says. "I... I remember your advice, Sabrina, and I've been trying. Oriko... however much I love her, she's too stubborn for her own good."
You sigh, taking a few steps forward to clasp Kirika's shoulder. Wiry muscle tenses like steel cable under your hand for a moment before she relaxes. "We'll figure out something," you murmur.
"C'mon in," Kirika says, pulling free of your hand.
You follow, exchanging a look with Mami. Kirika leads you up to Oriko's room, pushing the door open.
"Hey, Oriko," you greet.
"Hello, Sabrina. Miss Tomoe," the silver-haired girl greets. She looks impeccably groomed despite her silken nightgown, hair falling over her shoulders in perfect waves. Kirika pads across the room, silently sliding into the bed and wrapping her arms around the Oriko. "I apologise that I can't offer refreshments right now. Hi, dear."
"That's quite alright, Miss Mikuni," Mami demurs, perfectly polite as you approach the bed. "We won't be staying long."
"Yeah," you say, rummaging in your bag and retrieving the box. "We brought cupcakes, by the way. How are you holding up?"
"I can't see the future any more," Oriko states, utterly bland. She takes the box with steady hands, setting it on the bedside table. "My thanks."
You drop into a chair. "I'm sorry," you say. "I- we'll figure something out. We've got a soulguca coming in-" out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kirika mouthing the word 'soulguca' to herself, "-soon, right? Hopefully she can do anything, an-"
Oriko waves her hand, cutting you off. There's a manic little edge in her smile, carefully suppressed emotion. "It's quite alright," she says. "I'm still alive."
"Oriko..." Kirika whispers, worry clear in her orange eyes.
Your lips twist. "Oriko? I haven't given up on you," you say. Mami sits beside you and cuddles into your side. "Maybe you've given up on yourself, but I haven't. And frankly, I'm here to fix things."
The seer doesn't say anything, holding your gaze steadily.
You blink first, looking away and sighing. "I... look, Oriko, I really haven't given up on you. I'm glad you're still fine - say, are you still in pain?"
"Faint twinges," Oriko says, raising her hand to display her fingers bare of rings. "However, I feel like that might be because dear Kirika doesn't trust me to get out of bed." She gives Kirika a teasing little smile, expression softening. She inclines her head towards Mami. "Once again, thank you, Miss Tomoe, for your help with the enchantment."
"I was pleased to help," Mami says, nodding slowly.
Oriko turns her attention to you. "I will keep for another few days, I'm sure," she says. "You have things to attend to, today?"
"Well... yeah," you say, feeling a faint twinge of guilt.
"Then we shan't keep you," she says with a faint smile. "I'm grateful for your visit, and the cupcakes."
You sigh, letting your shoulders slump. You're not really sure what to make of Oriko right now, but that's... as polite a 'please go away' as you've ever heard.
Ah, well.
"Hey, Kirika?" you ask. "Um... well, I guess I'm headed off now, but before I head off, did you manage to find anything about that girl?"
Kirika sighs, rubbing her eyes. "Missing as of three days ago, April the fifth. Last seen leaving her school." She cracks a wry grin as she rummages through the clutter on the bedside table. "Never thought I'd be doxxing someone for good reasons," she says, offering you a printout.
You snort. "Well, things happen," you say. Glancing over the paper, you find a series of notes on the girl - nothing terribly interesting there. The last thing, at the bottom of the page, is a little missing persons article. "Damn," you mutter. "Well, something else to look into."
"You kinda go looking for things to stick your nose into," Kirika points out, smirking at you.
"Eh," you say. "'s a fair cop. Thanks, Kirika."
You briefly consider asking her to be your bestbuddy, but the atmosphere isn't quite lighthearted enough for you to do that. Admittedly, you can't shake the mental image of yourself with a curly little mustache either, but that's neither here nor there.
Mami tugs a little on your arm, and you turn to give her a smile. "Anyway, I guess we'll be going now," you offer, turning the smile on the couple. "See you soon, Oriko, Kirika."
"See ya," Kirika says, sliding out of the bed.
"Nah, we can see ourselves out," you say, waving her back. "I won't break anything!"
Oriko rolls her eyes. "See you, Sabrina, Miss Tomoe."
Your goodbyes said, you leave the mansion through the glass door, carefully sliding it shut behind you. "Ah... shall I carry you again, Mami?"
She shakes herself, smiling up at you. "Yes. I have an idea~"
"Oh?" you ask, bending over to pick her up.
"I'll show you," she says, nestling into your arms. "Soon!"
You snicker. "Alright," you agree, crouching a little and leaping for the skies.
You head home, wind in your hair and Mami in your arms. As you soar past the central business district, still gaining height, Mami stirs a little.
"Sabrina?" she murmurs into your mind.
"Mm?" you say.
"Let me go," she says.
"What? No!" you tighten your arms around her.
"I won't be hurt," she says. She reaches up to cup your face, golden eyes glowing with utter trust. "And you'll catch me if I don't succeed."
"I-" Your breath hitches in your throat. "OK."
In the face of that kind of sheer, absolute trust, what can you do?
You trust her, and you loosen your grip around her.
Mami smiles, her hand slipping from your face as she turns to face down, face down to the onrushing ground so far below. She's a magical girl and she'd survive any impact but you're already folding your wings behind her and diving to follow as she spreads her arms and legs into a skydiver's freefalling position.
Golden light blazes, a webwork of ribbons lashing across the sky as they coil and they weave. Seconds later, they snap into shape.
Wings.
Wings that clearly draw from yours. The same predatory, swept back shape, the same high arching curve. Sans the eye-straining affront against all that is good and right that makes up the fabric of your wings, of course. Mami's wings are woven of soft, golden fabric that shimmers faintly under the sun.
Mami's fall jolts to a halt as she wobbles, arms and legs spread wide to steady her flight.
You laugh, long and loud as you swoop down in front of Mami, settling into an aerodynamically impossible backstroke so that you're face to face with her. "You're amazing."
Mami blushes brightly. "It's nothing special," she says. "I just copied your wings, and I can't really fly. This is just a glider."
"And you did it with one good look at my wings," you say. "Don't be ridiculous. You're awesome, Mami, and that's final." You reach out and tap her nose. "Also, you're it." Folding one wing, you roll down and away from Mami, snapping your wings out to level into a swift flight lancing across the skyline.
Mami chases you all the way back home, her laughter mingling with yours in the clear blue sky. She's not a very good flyer, to be honest, but you let her catch you as you approach the apartment, turning at the last moment to let her crash against your chest. You flutter to the roof of the building with Mami safely captured in a hug, still laughing.
"You're the best," you tell her as you dissolve your wings, letting the Grief wisp away into the inert little spheres for storage.
Mami shakes her head. "No, you are," she says happily as she starts off down the stairs.
"No you," you say, sticking your tongue out at her.
With that absolutely mature and eloquent response under your belt, you march past her, nose held high as you head back home with Mami.
[] Write-in
=====​
OK, so honestly, I'm breaking the update here because it's getting too long. The next update will be cooking and lunch, which you'll finish up at about 2:30 or so, leaving a bit of time for one last activity before the picnic.
Last edited: Nov 17, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 16
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Nov 20, 2016

- #103,379

You hum cheerfully as you unlock the door, bumping it open and shucking your shoes. Mami follows you into the apartment, stretching happily with both arms over her head. There's still a contented smile on her face, traces of pleased laughter in the creases around her eyes that look simply beautiful on her.
"Lunch?" you ask, giving her a soft smile. "Lunch."
It's nice to see her happy. Your nebulously defined status with Mami or not, it's simply enough to see her in a good mood.
"And cooking," Mami chimes in, bumping her shoulder against yours as she moves towards the kitchen.
"Yup," you agree, following. First things first; the things that need to come out of the refrigerator to warm up. You start pulling out clingwrapped dishes of seasoned meat and other things that need to defrost, like the butter.
Mami fussed with the steamer, rinsing it out and then filling it with water. "Are you alright with steamed rice and fish for lunch, Sabrina?" she asks. "We can just throw it all in here and steam it while we cook."
"Fine by me," you agree, giving her a grin. "Throw some greens and stuff in there, too?"
Mami huffs, mock offended. "Of course I will, Sabrina. What do you take me for?"
You flash her a grin as you start laying out the spices. You might be collaborating with Mami on everything else, but the curry is your idea. Actual, heavily-spiced-but-not-necessarily-spicy Indian style curry, not the sweet Japanese kind. Not that that's bad, it's just... Different.
Your hand hovers over the fresh chilli. Just a few of them, you think, to give it a bit of bite. You pick out a few, and set aside the chilli powder to bring along just in case anyone fancies burning their tongue off.
Hmm...
Mami starts laying out ingredients too, bumping her hip against yours. You smile at her, looping a companionable arm around her waist as she fusses with some utensils.
"Cream?" you ask.
"Cream stew," Mami confirms. "Homura did like it, after all."
"Good idea," you agree, smiling. "Right..." You rub your hands together, and reach for the knife. "... Actually, what do we want to chop up before I start on the chilli?"
Mami smiles, and starts pushing ingredients towards you - carrots, cabbage, potato... The list goes on with little murmurs of discussion over the cooking. The chillis go last, and then you're stepping past Mami to start the stove up while Mami turns to start the deep fryer.
Between the two of you, the kitchen is soon filled with the deliciously savoury smells of cooking food, pots simmering on the stove with fragrant steam wafting forth. Mami fusses with the fryer, expertly adding crumbed chicken without a single splatter. You work at a pan, laying out dumplings before adding water and covering them to steam-fry to a nice golden brown.
On the kitchen table behind you lies freshly steamed mochi dough - they just needed a minute or two to cool down. Mami gets there first, though, and grabs the roller and the dough, flashing you a smile.
You return the smile and twirl past her to check on the steamer with your actual lunch in it. Flicking a glance at the various pots on the stove, you grin at Mami. "Lunch in five?" you ask.
Mami smiles. "Help me with the mochi?"
"Of course," you say, hurrying over and grabbed the discs of dough Mami stamps out to wrap up sweet red bean paste. You make short work of that, producing a neat pile of the little sweet dumplings, and then between Mami and yourself, you dust off the table so that you can lay out your lunch.
Smiling at Mami over the simple, lightly seasoned steamed fish and rice and vegetables, you dig in to your lunch. You only have a few minutes before it's time to be busy with cooking again, after all.
"Say, Sabrina?" Mami asks, between dainty bites. "What was that printout you asked Miss Kure for?"
"Oh," you say. Well. There's a matter of some contention with yourself, isn't it? You've been dickering over whether you should spend some time to do something with that information or not. "Uh, I had Kirika do some research for me, because she has a lot of time spare to spend on the Internet and all, yeah?"
Mami nods, scarfing down some fish.
"There's a magical girl named Kuroki who hasn't been seen in the last few days," you explain. "And, uh-"
Mami smiles at you. "You want to look for her?"
"I'm not going anywhere," you say, reaching across the table to cover her hand. "I might want to spare a bit of time to try some Grief devices to see if I can locate her later, but I'm going nowhere. I'm here, Mami, and this -you- are important to me." You sigh. "She's been missing for a few days. An hour or two won't make much of a difference."
"Ah," Mami says, shoulders relaxing... you'd say she relaxes imperceptibly, but you know her, and you know where to look for that cord of tension and the worried little crease between her eyebrows that eases away. She turns her hand over, palm to palm against yours, and curls her fingers against yours. "S-sorry."
"No," you say firmly. "Never."
Mami smiles at you, a little shaky.
You smile at her, leaving your hand right there as you return to eating your lunch. The silence is... comfortable, and after a moment, Mami follows suit.
And then it's time to return to cooking again. You check on the curry -simmering nicely- while Mami stands next to you, sauteeing some onions. She gives the curry a dubious look as you add the coconut milk. "Isn't that a bit too spicy, Sabrina?"
"Nah," you say, scooping up a spoonful to offer to Mami.
She blows on it to cool it down before daintily sipping it up. Surprise flickers across her face, and she smiles. "That's good!"
You grin at her. "I should hope so," you say. "The coconut milk helps a lot."
Mami smiles back.
"Anyway," you say as you poke at the potato. Needs to soften more, you judge. "I'm... kind of worried about Oriko."
"Oh?" Mami says cautiously, turning away from the stove.
"Yeah," you sigh, eyeing the onions and stirring them. "She's..." You break off with an inarticulate, annoyed sound. "She's depressed, giving up on living, and the confinement is making it worse." To be honest, the way she's acting, you'd guess that the only reason she hasn't Witched out is because of Kirika and the Clear Seed you'd given them.
Speaking of, you do need to check that the next time you go over.
"I... I can see that," Mami agrees, dusting the inside of a tupperware with cornstarch and starting to lay out the mochi inside.
"I'm... well, I can't lift the house arrest, but I kind of want to let them out of the house now and then," you say.
"Homura... Homura seems to dislike them a lot," Mami ventures, still boxing up the mochi.
"Yeah," you say. "I... convincing Sayaka and Homura is probably going to be... horribly hard. And I don't really... doing it behind their backs would be a violation of their trust."
Mami nods. "You'll do the right thing," she says, smiling at you. "I believe in you."
You smile at her. "Thanks, Mami."
"Of course, Sabrina," she says, finishing up the boxing. She returns to the stove, and you yield the onions to her, instead attending to the steamer - freed of your lunch, it's now loaded with little cups of egg. Chawanmushi, some nice, savoury egg custard.
"Few more minutes," you decide, getting a nod of agreement from Mami. "Also, um, Mami."
"Mmm?" she glances over at you.
"About Kuroki..." you start. "I was thinking about enlisting help from nearby meguca, like... Masami, or Kyouko."
"... oh," Mami says, head dipping. She continues stirring the onions in silence.
"If you're OK with that?" you ask anxiously, moving over to encircle your arms around her waist from behind. "I- I'm asking you, Mami. I can pay them for it, too, so it's just... asking them to help, right?"
Mami nods. "I- a-alright," she says, swallowing and leaning into your hug. She takes a shaky breath, visibly forcing herself to relax. "Alright."
"Hey," you say, bumping your head against hers lightly. "You're fine. And I'm here, Mami. Here to stay."
"R-right," she says, steadying a little.
You hold her for a while, until you're forced to abandon the hug and stir the curry. Even so, her mood seems to improve as she shakes it off.
Old, old hurts that never really go away.
Eventually, the cooking winds down, Mami finally cheering up a little, as you playfully feed her one of the freshly made mochi. All the food is nicely packed, filling two baskets to the bursting.
You return to the couch to just sit and rest for a moment, Mami curling up in your arms.
[] Write-in
-[X] And about Enchantment: It's easier to make an Enchantment if it's related to oneself's power, right? Should we try to make an Enchantment that controls Grief, or maybe one that cleanses Soul Gems?
--[X] If it's OK, dedicate the time until the picnic to practicing whichever enchantment Mami recommends.
=====​
Cutting the vote here to allow for a decision on what to do next. It's now about two hours before the picnic, enough time for one more thing done.
Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
Threadmarks On a Rail pt. 17
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Nov 23, 2016

- #103,513

It's nice, having Mami cosy and comfortable in your arms. You hold her for a while, leaning your head against hers. Her hair tickles your cheek, the soft fragrance of her shampoo and ever-present scent of tea filling your nostrils. You wish...
Heh.
You wish you could just rest like this for a bit and forget everything. You're realistic enough to say that you'd only want to rest for a bit - you'd go stir crazy soon enough. But it's nice, it really is, just cuddling with Mami.
Ah, well.
Things to do.
"Mami?" you murmur.
"Mmm?" she asks, tucking her head against your shoulder.
"I'm going to start trying things out, alright?" you suggest. "Gonna try making a Grief book, first. I might go into a trance, and it's probably going to feel Witchy."
"Alright," she responds, sliding an arm behind your back so that she can hug you around the waist.
You hold your hand out, summoning a blob of Grief from the mass you've left brooding on the roof. It bumps into the glass of the window, and you stop the motion before it breaks the glass. Instead, you pout and send a few marbles sailing from your bag to undo the latch.
Mami watches the entire affair, tucked comfortably into your side, and she giggles as the blob of Grief finally slaps into your hand. She pats you comfortingly on the shoulder.
With Grief in hand, you focus. Your attention sharpens on the blob of Grief, will and need moulding and shaping it. You need Kuroki's contact information. Will and need and control and a touch of fiat.
By my will be done.
A single card forms in your hand - not so much a book as a faux-business card of finely pressed linen paper, smooth and glossy to the touch. It sings of Witch in your mind, but that's alright. Printed across it in gold-embossed words are a single phone number and a name.
Mami stirs, lifting her head a little from your shoulder to peer curiously at the card. "Is that it?" she asks.
"Yup," you agree, sighing. You can't help but wonder if it would have been better to check Homura's book of Witches - you'd be able to check the worst case scenario, too. But then, you can't leave Mami right now, and you can't let her see the book, either.
"Isn't that a good thing, Sabrina?" Mami asks, her gaze flicking up to you.
"Yeah, but... I mean, if she's been missing for four days, I can't imagine no one's tried calling her yet," you say. Nevertheless, you grab your phone from your bag with a few marbles of Grief.
You set the card down on your lap -you only have the one free hand, since not hugging Mami is obviously not an option- and snatch the phone from the air, eyeing the charge. It's been a few days since you've charged it; probably time to charge it again. Later, though.
You flip it open and dial.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable." An automated message is the only response you get.
You scowl.
"Nothing?" Mami asks, her mouth tugging into a disappointed expression.
"Nope," you agree, heaving a sigh. "It was a long shot, anyway."
Mami sighs too, burrowing her head against your shoulder. "What's next?"
"Next I check in with Ishinomaki," you say. "Confirm that they're good for tomorrow, and to see if... Well, they have a girl who does tech, right? Magical hacking and so on. Maybe she could try and track the phone or something."
Mami nods. "That's a good idea," she agrees. "There are a few tracker specialist magical girls out there, but they're rare, and I don't know where any are." She wrinkles her nose. "There was a girl with dogs passing through Mitakihara once, but she didn't keep in touch."
Her expression falls a little at the memory.
You hug her tight, setting your phone down so you can wrap both arms around her. You don't say anything - you don't need to say anything.
She relaxes, cuddling closer.
You... Well, what you said earlier holds true. You wish you could just hold her and forget about the world.
But the world spins on.
Still, you can stay like this for a bit.
Mami stirs a few minutes later, peeking up at you. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, no," you say, hugging her again. "Nothing to be sorry for."
She shakes her head, clearly disagreeing. "You were saying?"
"Uh... Right," you say. "I was gonna ask if they could help me with, um, getting a legal identity?"
"... oh?" Mami asks.
You grimace. "I... well, the information I woke up with could only have come from magic of some kind, I... think. I don't think I have an actual identity to uncover."
"Oh," Mami says, golden eyes flicking up to meet your gaze. "I..." she bites her lip. "I see."
"Yeah," you say. "Might as well prepare for that eventuality, I figure."
Mami nods. "Alright," she says, smiling softly at you and letting her head droop back to lean on your shoulder.
"OK," you say. "I'm gonna make the call now."
You reach out by telepathy, reaching out for Inoue Yuuki, the tech-guca of the Ishinomaki group. "Hello, Miss Inoue?"
"Who is this, can you call my sister instead, busy-" the girl's breathless voice fills your head.
You blink. "Uh, it's Sabrina, and OK," you respond. You're immediately met with the connection slamming shut.
... OK then.
Inoue Yuuna instead, then. "Hello, Miss Inoue? This is Sabrina," you say cautiously. Mami's eyes drift open, looking at you with slightly raised eyebrows.
"... ah, yes, Miss Sabrina," the girl responds, sounding equally cautious. "How can I help you?"
"Uh, first, is your sister OK? She cut me off when I tried to call her," you ask. You give Mami a reassuring smile.
You can feel the eyeroll in response. "She's gaming. DotA earlier, think she's playing League now."
"Oh, I see." Never get between a gamer and their games, right. "In any case - I plan on making my cleansing trip tomorrow, if that's acceptable to you? I'll be coming by to cleanse your Soul Gems and refresh used Grief Seeds."
There's a long pause before she responds. "You were serious about that?" Yuuna says, finally.
"Yup," you confirm. Mami tucks herself a little closer against your side with a pleased little sigh.
"Very well," Yuuna responds. "When will you be arriving?"
"Most likely in the late morning, if not afternoon," you say. "I'm sorry, I can't give anything more precise than that - I'm juggling a few other things on my schedule."
"I understand," Yuuna says. "I shall tell the others to keep their schedules free."
"Right. One more thing... I want to commission your sister for two things, but I'm not sure what she's capable of?" you ask.
"Ah, familiar territory," Yuuna says. "What do you require?"
"Well, do you know if she can track a phone from her phone number?" you ask.
"Ah. Yes, she can do that," Yuuna says. "I take it this is partial payment for the cleansing?"
"I- well, no, that's free of charge," you say. "But I'd take it as a favour. The number is..." You read it off the little card.
"Noted," Yuuna says, voice guarded. "I'll tell Yuuki. What was the other thing?"
"Well... I was wondering if she can do anything like create a legal identity?" you ask.
"I... have no idea," Yuuna admits. "I can check with her. Later. Why do you need it?"
"I, uh, don't have one. And I'd appreciate it," you say. "In that case, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Presumably so," Yuuna responds, and ends the call.
You smile at Mami. "Well, that's done," you say. "Seems like they'd be happy to help."
"That's good," Mami says, beaming up at you.
"Next up is... Sendai and the University group," you say. "You know, is there more than one University group? I mean there's, for example, Tokyo University, right?"
Mami shrugs. "Yes, but the group at Sendai University got the name first," she says.
"Fair enough," you say. "Anyway..." You reach out by telepathy, first to Chouko - the leader of the University group. The one who could fly really well. She seems pleasantly surprised, confirming that there haven't been any problems, and again confirming that you're good to visit tomorrow. You follow that up with a call to Mori Rin. The girl seems to be firmly emplaced as the leader of the Sendai group now, speaking more easily for all of them as she finalises your cleansing trip tomorrow.
And finally, Tokyo. You only had the one contact with them, Ueda Noa, the representative of North Tokyo, who Akiko had tried to hire as a mercenary. "Hello, Miss Ueda? This is Sabrina, we met during that fiasco in Sendai?"
It takes a moment for her to respond. "Miss Sabrina?"
"That's me," you confirm.
"Ah. Yes. I take it this is about your offer?" Noa says.
"Yup," you agree.
"How do I put this..." She sounds kind of guilty.
"Just tell me?" you prompt.
"Ah, well, there is no unified front," she admits. "The Council generally agrees that they want to engage your, ah, services, but they can't agree on an order or a way in which to do so. Um, the Meiji group rejects your offering entirely."
"... um," you say. "I do intend to do it for free, you did mention that, right?" At the same time, you nudge Mami. "Hey, um, Mami? What's the Council? Tokyo Council, maybe?"
"Politics," Noa says, sounding wretchedly guilty.
"Um?" Mami asks. "The Council is a... um, Tokyo is just so big that all the magical girl groups agreed that they should have some kind of way to peacefully negotiate. The Council is just, um, something like the United Nations?"
"Gotcha, thanks," you say, smiling at Mami. To Noa, you respond with a neutral, "I see. Anything I can do?"
"Unless you plan on making a personal intervention, I don't think so," Noa says.
"Right, right. Thanks for the info," you say, ending that call.
"Why do you ask, Sabrina?" Mami asks.
You pull a face. "Nah, apparently Tokyo can't decide whether they actually want my help or something," you say. "Because apparently the Council is being political about it."
"Oh," Mami says. "I should have expected that, I suppose. I've heard... stories about them."
You shake your head. "Ah, well," you say, hugging her close. "It's fine. Maybe I'll do something about that at some point, but up until then... well."
And finally, a call to Masami and Hiroko. "Hey, Masami? Hiroko?"
"Hey, Sabrina," Masami responds, sounding entirely too cheerful. "How's tricks?"
... should you be suspicious?
"I think I should be asking you that," you say. "How's Megane?"
"Oh, just fine," Masami responds. "Right, Hiroko?"
Hiroko's only response is an aggrieved sigh and a long-suffering "Masami..."
Masami only laughs. "Ono's shaping up," she says. "Slowly."
"You broke her wrist!" Hiroko squawks in outrage.
"By accident!" Masami counters, like it's a... discussion they've already had. "And she learned to heal out of it, right?"
"God, you've gotten meaner," Hiroko says.
Masami snorts. "You were cheering me on."
"That- that doesn't count!" Hiroko says.
"Ahem," you say, interrupting rather pointedly. "Good to hear things are going... OK. Hey, I might need a favour from you girls at some point, to help to find someone? Not at the moment, I'm following up on some other things at the moment, but I'll be happy to pay you for it if I need your help?"
"We'd be happy to," Hiroko says. "Right, Masami?"
"Right, right," Masami says. "Yeah, let us know. We can bring Ono along, too!"
"That's the idea," you allow, and exchange a few more pleasantries before ending the call. You relax against the sofa -and Mami- with a satisfied little noise. That's all done, then, and with about half an hour to spare before the picnic. Which means it's time to go, really.
[] Write-in
=====​
Do you remember the days before smartphones, when phones could last for days without being charged?
Last edited: Nov 24, 2016
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