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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 This mortal coil pt. 26
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Dec 29, 2015

- #73,180

You blink, thinking about that for a moment. "I need to figure out own enchantment," you say, savouring the mashed potato. "I want to be able to understand what goes into an enchantment, or a Soul Gem."
Mami nods. "That sounds like a good idea," she agrees.
"Yeah... Maybe you'll be able to see what's wrong?" Kirika says, smiling hopefully. She gives the little pile of polished bones in front of her a mournful look.
"Hopefully," you agree, watching in amusement as Oriko shares half of the breaded skin she'd peeled off the chicken with Kirika. The black haired girl immediately brightens, scooting a little closer to Oriko.
"Ah, Sabrina," Mami says, smiling at you. "Could you pass the coleslaw and mashed potato?"
"Sure," you agree, doing just that. Dinner finishes in amiable silence, most of the discussion having burnt itself out, and you all wash your hands, Kirika getting lightly smacked by Oriko for flicking her hands dry on the floor.
You head down to the living room, illuminated by the warm sunlight tones of fluorescent bulbs. You all settle into the rich leather sofas, Kirika collecting some rocks from outside and dumping them on the table.
"Alright," you say, smiling as Mami sits beside you and curls against your side. "Let's get started. Ah, Mami, could you enchant something for me to practice on first? I'll make you the Grief boosted enchantment. Uh, general warning for the Witch-y feel again."
Mami nods, reaching out just far enough to snag one of the river-smoothed rocks and holding it between both hands. She exhales, face turning blank as she focuses on the enchantment, her palms lighting up with a golden glow.
Kirika and Oriko are cuddled into each other on the other sofa, both of them getting started on their own enchantments.
You call a blob of Grief to you, a small sphere zooming in through the open window. You catch it, and focus your will upon it. What was it you'd wanted last time? Enhancement of enchantment control. You bend your will upon the Grief, metaphorically moulding and twisting at it-
-and it's done, a plain bracelet of seemingly steel, gleaming in your palm. It hums in your senses, and out of the corner of your eye, you catch Mami's look. You give her a reassuring smile, flipping the bracelet into your other hand so that you can give Mami a one-armed hug.
She relaxes, smiling at you.
"Right," you murmur, slipping the bracelet on and selecting another of those smoothed rocks from the small pile on the table. You'd make a ring, but you don't have a normal ring to work with. So a rock it is, then.
You exhale slowly, holding the rock on the flat of your palm. You know what you want -pain blocking- so you simply pour magic from the palm, letting your intention and the bracelet guide the formation. Grief wicks into the winding traceries of magic, giving the enchantment a speckled appearance to your mind's eye.
"Here we are," you say, holding it out to Mami. Absently, you dissolve the bracelet rather than keep it around - the Witchy sensation's probably a distraction.
"And here you are," Mami says, taking the rock and handing you another in exchange. This one's formed into a smooth sphere. Golden fire blooms across its surface at your touch, light spreading in rippling circles. "Magical reinforcement," she adds.
"Thank you, Mami," you say, taking the rock with a smile. She ducks her head, smiling back at you.
On the other sofa, Kirika's concentrating hard, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she directs a frown at the rock in her hand. Oriko, on the other hand, is slowly turning her rock over between her palms, magic flickering in fitful little starts.
To work, then. You want to learn to analyse magic more thoroughly. Trying to do it with Grief didn't quite work, the last time you'd tried it. And that had been odd, too. It had felt like it was... somehow out of reach, and just out of reach, at that.
You chew on your lip as you contemplate that. Shouldn't Grief transmutation be incredibly versatile, capable of nearly anything? It is what Witches use to build their Barriers and their very forms. So why would this be out of reach?
You need to think about it. For now, though... You exhale, turning your attention to the rock and peering into it with your senses. Magical traceries wind across the surface of the magic. You spend a while examining those twisting streaks of magic, trying to discern some pattern to the way they're structured and the way they flicker and glow in response to touching the stone.
Not really much to be found there, though you do note that the magic has a distinct sensation to it, warm and gentle while wrapped around an inner core of cast iron.
Reminds you of Mami, really. Which makes you think of Mami in glasses, for some reason, and that mental image is alarmingly adorable. Hm. And speaking of Mami, she does have that test tomorrow... tsk. You need to do something about that. Back to the topic at hand...
Magic is odd, on your senses, a sort of like-yet-not-like resonance to your self. You feel like you could mould it, twist it like you do with grief, but when you reach for it, it's oddly far away and yet paradoxically still within reach.
And if you look at your own Soul Gem... it is, in many ways, the absolute opposite to a Grief Seed. If a Grief Seed is absolutely packed with Grief, then your Soul Gem overflows with magic. It would be blinding, an absolute nova, if you were looking at it with your physical eyes.
And in the centre, the one similarity. That one abyssal speck of Gried that you instinctively shy away from looking at too closely.
You chew on your lip. Magic and Grief.
Despair and hope.
That's not really a new realisation, you suppose.
[] Write-in
[X] While you practice, remind Oriko that in order to test Kirika's AM enchantment, she'll need to let go of the ring for a moment. She should tell us as soon as she's ready.
[X] Whenever you feel tired, telepathy Masami and Hiroko.
-[X] How many Christmas baskets do you owe them for their help?
-[X] Ask how did their meeting go.
-[X] Also how's the Grief Seed working.
-[X] Also if they need anything from you.
[X] If you need another break during practice, try to Grief up an informational pamphlet about Oriko's Soul issue. Grief warning.
=====​
Hmmmm.
Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 27
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 1, 2016

- #73,536

You tilt your head slightly, contemplating what you'd learned. You're still not really sure what to make of it, though you do have a vague, if unrelated idea. Hm.
Enchantment... well, what you do with Grief is you impose your will, you impose order. And that simply doesn't seem to work with magic. What if it's more like Wishing? Ask and ye shall receive and all. Maybe it's to be guided, and not grabbed by the stranglehold of your will and forced into a rigid structure.
It would kind of make sense, given how there's no perceptible rhyme nor reason to the enchantment laid by Mami. It's worth a shot. You turn your attention back to the rock, pursing your lips and let magic simply seep into it. You don't control it, you don't try to force it into any structure.
Reinforcement. You try and push the impression at the magic diffusing from your hands. If you had to use an analogy, it's... a cloud of gas, sort of, moving kind of aimlessly. You try and... prod it towards the rock, but to no real avail - bereft of direction, it acts exactly like said cloud of gass and diffuses.
It doesn't even try to clump together like Grief that leaves your range, it just thins out into the environment.
No luck there, then. Hm. At least the rock isn't shattered into little chunks. With perfect comedic timing, a sharp crack fills the room - Oriko's first rock, splintered into tiny shards. The seer winces, but dusts her hands off and picks up a new one.
You know what, you'll take a quick break and check on Masami and Hiroko. Hopefully they haven't murdered Ono in the, uh, six or seven hours since you'd last seen them.
Hmm. Only six hours. It feels longer.
"Hello? Masami, Hiroko?" you reach out telepathically, leaning back in the sofa for a moment. Mami spares a moment to look up from the rock you'd enchanted and smile at you, giving you a pat on the shoulder. You smile back at her.
"You weren't kidding about her attitude," Masami grumbles right back.
... promising.
"Hello, Sabrina," Hiroko chimes in.
"Sooooo how many Christmas baskets do I owe you?" you ask cautiously, rolling the river stone around your palm.
"All the Christmas baskets," Masami grunts. "Hold on."
"She's making her do laps," Hiroko confides in you, mental voice conspiratorial.
"... laps?" you ask.
"Ah, yes. Running laps?" Hiroko says.
That doesn't actually clarify much. "Go on?"
"Well," Hiroko says. "It's what Masami did for me? It helps to train discipline and, ah, an appreciation for physical stuff."
"But we're meguca," you say blankly.
"Meguca?" Hiroko asks.
"Uh, slang word for magical girls. From English, 'magical girl', meguca," you explain. "But anyway, we're magical girls? A bit of running shouldn't do much?"
"Ah!" Hiroko says, apparently understanding. "Yes, you're right, we know it shouldn't, but Miss Ono doesn't."
"Oh," you say. "Ohhhhh."
"Exactly," Masami says, rejoining the conversation. And if there's a certain amount of vindictive glee in her voice, well, who are you to comment. "It's what I did for Hiroko!"
"... try not to drive her too hard?" you offer. "I mean, she was sort of upset when I first met her."
"Ah," Masami says. "Yes, we know."
"I suggested that we could keep an eye on her for a day or two," Hiroko says. "We do have the time."
"Uh... huh," you say. "Well, OK then. Good luck, and see you around?"
"See you," Hiroko agrees.
"Yeah, bye-bye," Masami says.
You exhale. That's going well. You think.
You hope.
You return your attention to the rock, humming quietly under your breath. That idea you had wasn't it. Then again, such is science. You create a hypothesis and you test it, and discard it if necessary. "... We do what we must because we can~"
"For the good of all of us~" Your head snaps up. Mami beams at you.
"Except the ones who are dead~" You grin right back at her.
"But there's no sense crying over every mistake-" Her English is really quite good, only a bit of rounding on some syllables.
"You just keep on trying 'til you run out of cake-"
"And the science gets done and you make a neat gun-"
"For the people who are still alive~" The both of you finish together, grinning at each other.
Oriko and Kirika are both giving you looks of polite incomprehension.
You giggle. And that sets Mami off, covering her mouth to muffle her giggling. You quirk your eyebrows at her, and she nods, wiping the smirk off her face and returning to work. You, too, return your attention to the rock in your hands, flipping it slowly from side to side.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see Oriko and Kirika exchange a very confused look before returning to their own tasks.
Hmm. You still think that there might be something to be made of that odd... sensation you get from magic. You try to mould a little magic, letting a gentle silver glow build up on your fingertips and trying to roll it around.
Controlling Grief comes naturally to you. It's like an extension of yourself, really, hands and arms and legs as needed. You will it, and it is done. And yet magic isn't like that. Control, proper control, feels like it's out of your reach, and all you can do is a few rote actions that you instinctively know how to - healing, summoning your hammer, and so on.
Hm.
You watch as Mami sets aside the rock you'd enchanted with pain removal, a distant, thoughtful expression on her face. Instead, she reaches for the antimagic rock, hefting it in her hand. The thoughtful look instantly dissolves into confusion, and she blinks down at the rock.
"Is something wrong, Mami?" you ask.
"... no," she says. "Not... exactly. Miss Kure, this is... antimagic, correct?"
Kirika looks up. "Hm? Yep, it is!" Oriko's head snaps up, too, eyes unfocusing as she frowns in the general direction of the wall.
"I... can't do anything with this," Mami admits, looking sheepish. "It nullifies my magic."
"Oh," Kirika says, giving Oriko a concerned look. "Uh... that makes sense? Um... Oriko?"
"Mm," you agree. "That's annoying. Oriko?"
"What is, Sabrina?"
You spot the red eyes first, almost glowing against the soft white fur. Kyuubey perches at the window of the living room, lit by the lamps against the encroaching blackness of light outside. At your side, Mami makes a faintly distressed sound, and you wrap an arm around her waist, squeezing lightly.
[] Write-in
=====​
Did you forget about it?
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 28
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 3, 2016

- #74,377

To throw it out, or to talk to it. Throw it out, or talk to it...
On the one hand, it's Kyuubey. You're... you're afraid of it, you guess. You don't know what it wants, in this case, and you don't know how it might ruin things for you. As it is, it holds far too many cards, and each of those cards could break you and your friends. Mami, especially.
On the other hand, it's Kyuubey. You hate it, but you might learn something from it. Kyuubey is the actual Soul expert here, much as it galls you to admit it. Or more so than you are, at any rate. It might be your best chance to help Oriko.
On the third gripping hand, which you just formed out of Grief, it's Kyuubey, pinched delicately between two marionette jointed fingers. It's really not worth it.
You bring Kyuubey up to your eye level, dangling by the scruff of its neck. "Get out," you say.
With a deft flick of the disembodied Grief hand, you toss it back out of the window.
You exhale. Bastard bunnycat.
You turn to Mami, pulling her into a proper hug. "Are you OK, Mami?"
She stares out of the window where you'd thrown the incubator, leaning into the hug. "I- I suppose so," she says, swallowing blinking rapidly as if trying to force back tears.
"That was unecessary, Sabrina." Kyuubey's telepathic voice intrudes in your head - in everyone's head, judging by the reactions. Oriko's expression tightens fractionally, while Kirika openly scowls at the little white creatue. Mami turns away from the window, burying her face in your shoulder.
"Go away, and stay gone," you snap, another Grief hand already snatching for it.
"Very well," the Incubator says, dodging nimbly and hopping out of sight. "It seems my help is unwanted."
You snort. Any help it'd offer would probably be tainted.
Then again, some part of you can't help but feel like you might be making a mistake. Alienating the little, well, alien, could lead to it taking more active measures against you. So far, it's been subtle - about the worst you can lay at its feet is... encouraging Megane to be distrustful of you. And then again, that might have been her natural onoryness showing through.
What if that changes, though?
Kirika grimaces, staring out of the window. "Nasty thing," she opines.
"Mh," you agree.
Mami shakes her head, and you can feel her taking a deep breath and steadying herself. "I... I hope he stays gone," she whispers.
"I know," you say, squeezing her reassuringly. "I know, Mami."
Oriko exhales. "Shall we get back to work?"
"Yeah," Kirika agrees, eyes flicking to the window with a grimace. "Back to work."
Mami sighs, cuddling into your side with her eyes closed. You hug her reassuringly, biting your lip. This... this isn't the kind of thing that goes away easily or quickly. You stroke her back in slow, soothing circles as she recovers.
Kyuubey. Little furry bastard. He, it. It's sentient and sapient, and... does it deserve a chance? Does it deserve your dislike? In the end... you suppose it does. Deserve your dislike, and maybe even your hatred. Forgiveness goes only so far, not when it has the blood of millions on its paws, accumulated since time immemorial.
"I- I'm alright," Mami whispers, pulling herself upright in your hug. She wipes at her face, giving you a weak smile.
"Take as much time as you need, Mami," you say keeping your arms right where they are.
Motion out of the corner of your eye - two gazes watching you silently, one sea-green and one orange. Oriko nods slowly, her expression distant and almost blank. Kirika's eyes flick from you to the darkness beyond the window and back to you, and she gives you a weak, worried little grin.
"I'm alright," Mami says, taking a deep, shuddering breath and sitting up properly. She doesn't move away from you, though, still pressed into your side, but she eases away just enough to pick up another rock and cup it between her hands.
Oriko nods again, eyes refocusing on you. "I'm going to try Kirika's antimagic rock," she murmurs, laying aside her own chunk of riverstone.
"Here," Kirika says, holding the newly made one to her. Oriko accepts it, holding her left hand out to Kirika.
The black haired girl smiles weakly, taking Oriko's hand between hers. With slow, gentle motions, she slides the ring off. Oriko tightens her grip on the antimagic rock in anticipation, her knuckles whitening.
The ring comes off fully. Oriko's jaw clenches tight, a flicker of pain crossing her face.
"Oriko?" Kirika whispers.
"It's... it's alright," she whispers. "Let me try."
She's controlling her breathing, forcing herself to breathe normally. It takes minutes, but it becomes more natural, her eyes opening.
"It's... workable," she says, voice thready.
Kirika shakes her head, squeezing the ring back onto Oriko's finger. The seer sags, the rigid set of her shoulders easing back into something gentler. "It cuts off my visions, but... the pain is manageable," she says, glancing at you.
"I think we can leave that as a backup plan, maybe?" you suggest. "If we absolutely can't figure out anything else?"
She nods slowly.
"I... I think I can duplicate the anti-pain effect, Sabrina," Mami says hesitantly. "I'm not completely sure, but I think so."
[] Write-in
[x] Stay alert in case the bunnycat comes back. If he returns, throw him out with floating Grief hands. Repeat as many times as needed.
[x] Diagnose Oriko's sickness using a magic boosted Grief book.
[x] More enchantment practice and experimentation.
=====​
This is technically a continuation of the previous vote in abeyance. Write in what Sabrina will do in the meantime - enchantment isn't really something you can assist on, if you want to practice a specific enchantment or idea or something, now's the time.
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 29
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 5, 2016

- #74,959

"That's great," you say, giving her a warm, pleased smile. "You can do it, Mami. Um... is there anything I can do to help?"
She smiles back at you. "Ah, not really," she says. "I... don't think two person enchantment is really possible? Or... perhaps it is, but I've never tried it before."
"That's fair," you say, smiling at her. "I believe in you, Mami. You'll get this done. Hang in there!"
Kirika beams at Mami, eyes alight with eager hope. "Please do your best!"
Mami nods. "I'll try," she says, leaning forward to snag a fresh rock and the one you'd enchanted for her to reverse-engineer before cuddling back into your side, both of the rocks on her lap.
"Hm," you say, considering the matter. "Actually, maybe we should make it a ring for Oriko?"
Mami tilts her head. "Mmm... that makes sense," she agrees. "Ah, do you have a ring, though? I'll need something to start off."
"No, but I do have gold," you say, a smirk flickering across your face. You don't have to heat forge it, since you can probably extrude it with sheer pressure applied with your Grief. You hold your hand out towards the window, summoning one of the spheres containing your loot.
"Why do you have gold?" Kirika asks, eyeing you oddly as you root about inside the sphere and produce a small slab of gold. "... why do you have gold bars?"
"I stole it from the yakuza with Homura's help," you answer, pursing your lips as you contemplate the best way of doing this.
Oriko palms her face, and Kirika pats her shoulder reassuringly.
You chuckle, coming to a decision. Grief enfolds the bar of gold, the deep purple stuff flowing over the gold. It only takes a bit of thought to form a ring mould in the middle of the Grief, and another touch of will and a clenching of your fist squeezes. Sheer pressure crushes gold into the ring. With twirl of your fingers, you form a thousand tiny, abrading blades inside your impromptu cold-forge sphere, sandblasting the ring to a polished finish.
You briefly debate etching words in the Black Speech around the edge of the ring, but that probably sends the wrong message entirely.
The sphere hinges open to display a gleaming golden ring, which you pick out with a grin and hand to Mami. You seal the Grief sphere shut again, and compress the remaining chunk of gold back into a bar shape, albeit a smaller one than you'd started with. "There we go," you say, beaming proudly.
Mami stares down at the ring in her hands, shaking her head. "Oh, Sabrina," she says fondly. She weighs the ring in her hand thoughtfully. "I can work with this."
"Hey, if it works, it works," you say, glancing around at the others. Kirika seems torn between giving you a thumbs up, blushing furiously at the prospect of putting a ring on Oriko, and cheering Mami on. Oriko's face is firmly buried in her palms.
"Alright," Mami says, holding the ring in one hand and the anti-pain rock in the other. She leans into your side, nestling comfortably against you. "I'll get started."
"Right," you say. "I'll get back to practice, then. I suppose all of us should, just in case?"
Oriko nods, as does Kirika.
The living room falls silent as you all turn to your own tasks, the minutes ticking away on the clock. You let your mind wander as you work slowly on your own enchantment. Dewitching.
Really, it's one of your biggest hopes for enchantment. Half one, and half the other... Grief comes naturally to you but magic is so much harder. It's weird, really, just out of reach. Just out of reach, as if you might be able to grasp it by figuring out how to twist your control.
You exhale slowly, turning the rock over in your hand. At least you haven't broken any so far, though you haven't succeeded, either.
... Madokami above, you hope you don't break any Grief Seeds when it comes to trying to restore them. That would be rather not good.
Would Kyuubey retaliate if you start cutting into its profit margins with the dewitching? You have no idea, to be honest, and that's... a concern.
The sharp crack of a rock shattering draws you from your own contemplation - Kirika, poking disonconsolately at a broken rock. You frown. Hadn't she already succeeded with enchantment?
Hm.
"By the way, Kirika," you say. "Just curious, how'd you do the anti-magic enchantment?"
She glances up. "Eh?"
"No, I mean like..." You wave a hand. "Did you start with a simpler enchantment, or did this one work out easier, or...?"
"Aha!" Kirika says, citrine eyes crinkling into an understanding smile. "Uh, I was trying the reinforcement magic-" she gestures with the handful of splintered shards in her hand, "-but that didn't work. When you suggested the anti-magic, I gave it a shot. Still took me a few tries, but it was easier."
"Right, that makes sense," you say, idly tucking stray hair behind your ear. Hm.
"I've noticed magical girls tend to have an affinity for enchantment related to their own powers?" Mami offers, glancing up from the ring.
"Ah, thanks, Mami," you say. Hm. It makes sense, you reckon.
She beams up at you, returning to studying your rock with a thoughtful air.
"... also, Kirika," you say. "How did you get a picture of me flying, anyway?"
"Telescopic lens," Kirika says, fang poking out of her grin. "And I asked Oriko for the best place to look."
"Do I want to know why you have a telescopic lens?" you ask.
Kirika shrugs.
You shake your head, smiling yourself - that grin is infectious, and you return to your enchantment. Beside you, Mami chuckles and leans her head against you, eyes flicking from the rock to the ring in her hand. You can feel her magic starting to stir in slow, tentative licks of spectral, invisible fire.
Another hour ticks by, until finally, Mami makes a satisfied sound, sitting up straight. And you can feel her magic coalesce into a closed loop, centred on the ring.
"Success?" you ask, sitting up and smiling at Mami.
"Yes!" she says, proudly holding the ring up to you. It gleams in the lamp light, golden fire in shifting runes burning along the rim. Not the Black Speech.
Kirika bounds to your side, eyes bright and eager. "It works?" she demands.
"It works," Mami says, steady and confident.
Kirika makes an inarticulate, begging sound, holding out both hands for it.
Mami glances at you, and you nod in confirmation. She nods, and drops the ring in Kirika's hands.
Kirika's back at Oriko's side in an instant, the ring in her outstretched hand. Oriko smiles at her, and holds her hand out.
Kirika blushes. Violently.
And she grins at Oriko through the blush, bright and happy.
Mami makes an amused noise, watching the couple with an equally amused smile.
Slowly, reverently, Kirika slides the Grief ring off her finger, and replaces it with the golden one.
Oriko relaxes. Tension bleeds out of her shoulders, and she works her neck experimentally.
"It works," she pronounces.
Kirika squeals, and tackles her in a massive hug, nearly rocking the sofa over on its back.
[] Write-in
=====​
OK, so I'm going to do something I haven't done before: In the interests of settling this particular argument, I am locking it in that Sabrina will be trying the Grief book before she leaves Oriko's place, using this vote:
[X] Try to create a Grief Manual outlining the form and function of a Soul Gem.
--[X] After Mami finishes the anti pain enchantment.
--[X] Warn her that making it might take a few minutes, general witchy feeling warning, etc.
Last edited: Jan 8, 2016
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 30
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 8, 2016

- #75,407

Success. Success.
You grin at Mami, pulling her into an exuberant hug. "You did it, Mami!" you squeal into her hair. "I knew you could do it!"
"Ah... I'm glad I could do something," Mami says, ducking her head.
"No," you say, pulling back and smiling at her. "You did this, Mami. You did this, and you made something usable out of what I did."
She shakes her head, but she can't hide the delighted smile on her face as she hugs you back.
"Thank you, Tomoe Mami." Oriko's quiet voice has you glancing over at the seer.
Kirika bounces off Oriko's lap. "Yeah! Thank you, Mami!" she chirps, gloom vanishing and good mood restored.
"It was no problem," Mami says, smiling a little at Kirika. The expression turns stiff when her eyes meet Oriko's, however, smile faltering.
The seer nods slowly in acknowledgement.
If Mami's gracious smile and nod is still a little strained, well... you'll take it as some progress.
You tighten your hug around her, drawing her attention back to you. "Thank you, Mami, for indulging me on this," you say. "I know you didn't really want to help Oriko, so... Thank you, Mami, so much."
"You thought it was for the best, so I'm glad to have helped," Mami says, smiling warmly at you.
You smile back at her, meeting warm, golden eyes with nothing but absolute, unshakeable trust in you.
A minute later, she steps back, still smiling. "What's next, Sabrina?"
You exhale, smiling around at the others. "OK. This buys us a little time - Oriko, your Soul Gem is still... odd." You double check to confirm that this is, indeed, the case. "But it's getting kind of late, so... we'll see you tomorrow, OK? We're not done here."
Oriko nods. "I understand," she says. "My visions are still... sluggish, but the pain is gone. I'll be fine."
"Aw," Kirika says, shoulders slumping. "OK."
"Alright," you say, rolling your neck and summoning a blob of Grief to your hands. This... this is something that's been bothering you for a while, whether you can do it. And there's really no better time to settle it. "Let me try one last thing before we go, OK? This is gonna feel kinda Witchy, and it'll probably take a few minutes." You smile reassuringly at Mami.
She smiles back at you, a touch of worry on her face, but she nods. "Alright," she says.
You glance at Kirika and Oriko. They nod in acquiesence too, so you set your feet and raise the blob of Grief between both hands.
You focus.
A deep breath in...
Soul Gems. A manual on how Soul Gems work. You push with your mind, reaching with that odd sense of control you have over Grief. Knowledge.
Knowledge that feels like it's there but not quite within your grasp. Out of your reach, even if you strain to try and take it-
... and out.
You wipe at the sweat beading on your brow. You roll your shoulders again, now dense knots of tension, and you wince. The sphere of Grief in your hands remains mockingly unchanged.
"Sabrina?" Mami asks.
"I'm OK," you say, letting your hands drop so that the blob of Grief hangs in the air. You banish it out of the window. "Didn't work, is all." You grimace, rolling your neck and your shoulders both.
"Eh," Kirika says, shrugging. "Win some, lose some, yeah?"
"Yeah," you agree. "Anyway, cleanses for everyone?"
You take a look at Oriko's Gem as you cleanse it. Maybe it's your imagination, but you'd swear the fire that is her magic is tightening on itself. You'd compared it to a klein bottle earlier, and that's not a bad analogy - the loop is shrinking.
Oriko and Kirika see you to the big glass door, opening into the rose garden. Kirika beams at you as you step outside. "Thanks for helping, Sabrina," she says, patting you on the shoulder.
"Thank Mami," you say, tilting your head at her.
"Already did," Kirika says, grinning. "Now I'm thanking you."
"You're welcome," you say, smiling back as you form a Grief carpet. "Anyway... See you all tomorrow, OK?"
"Yeah, see you," Kirika says, stepping back.
Oriko nods, waving with her one working hand. "Tomorrow."
Mami's already sitting on the carpet when you turn back to it, and to your surprise, doesn't immediately curl into your side when you sit on it. You look askance at her, but she simply smiles back at you.
You lift into the air, Kirika waving enthusiastically as she shrinks away beneath you. Mami shuffles around behind her, and sets her hands on your shoulders. Strong fingers start to knead and massage at your trapezius muscles, soothing away the tension.
She's good at it, and you slowly relax, the knots melting away under her hands as you soar over Mitakihara. You groan, working the muscles and letting your mind wander, briefly considering the vaguely terrifying idea of Homura with more guns.
"Thank you, Mami," you say.
"It's just a massage," she demurs, never ceasing her ministrations.
"No, not that," you say. "Though thank you for this, too, it feels amazing. Just... thank you for helping today, Mami."
"It was nothing," she says. "Ah, there's something I'm curious about."
"Mmm?" She's changing the subject, but you suppose you'll let her.
"Um... Mikuni Oriko," Mami asks. "I suppose that house was her father's?"
"It is," you agree. Where's she going with this, you wonder.
"I thought so. She... doesn't seem to be taking care of it," she says.
"Mmm... She can't really do much with just one hand," you say. "And Kirika doesn't, uh, strike me as much of a cleaning person, you know? And honestly... I'm not sure she likes the house much, other than as somewhere to live."
Mami chuckles, her laughter light and cheerful. "That's true. And that would make sense."
"Is something on your mind?" you prompt.
"Not really..." Mami says. "The rose bush in the backyard... that was you, wasn't it?"
You blink in surprise. "... well, yeah," you admit. "Why?"
"Oh, Sabrina," Mami says fondly, her massage stopping for a moment so that she can hug you from behind. "Only you."
That's probably true. "Any particular reason?"
"No, I was just wondering. It seemed so out of place, you know?" she responds, pulling back from the hug and returning to the massage.
You shrug. "I wanted to test something, and Oriko didn't like the bushes."
"Mmm," Mami says, her chuckles filling your mind.
You continue chatting happily as you fly back home, landing the carpet on the roof of the apartment block and dissolving it back into Grief to join the rest. You walk down to Mami's apartment and immediately flop on the sofa, not even bothering to detransform.
Mami giggles, sitting at the end of the sofa by your head. "Tired?" she asks.
"Meh," you say, sitting up. "Just lots of things happening."
"Mmm," she says, shuffling over to nestle into your side. "You take so much on yourself, Sabrina."
Because there might be no one better to do it. You try not to be arrogant, but... it is a fact that there's essentially no one who knows as much as you do about the entire story playing out here. Speaking of which, you do need to tell Mami. Later.
You exhale. "Anyway," you say, smiling at Mami. "You need to study, right?"
"Ah, yes," Mami says, her smile fading a little. "I... I'm not sure how much I can get done tonight, though..."
"I'll help you study," you offer, smiling. "If you want?"
"Of course I do," she says, already walking to her school bag to pull out her textbook and a thick sheaf of notes.
You help her clear the table, and settle down beside her. The two of you study into the night, you helping to quiz her and explain the concepts she has trouble with.
Eventually, she sighs, sitting back and glancing at the clock. Eleven thirty. "I don't think I'll get any more studying done tonight," she admits. "I need to sleep."
[] Write-in
[x]Afterwards, time permitting, gently bring up that we'd like to talk about something, if she wants to. Does she remember the...things we said we weren't sure we were ready to talk about before? We'd like to talk to her about one of them, if she's okay with that and wants to hear it now. If not, that's okay.
-[x]This...It doesn't change how much we care about her. We wouldn't leave her.
-[x]Tell Mami about the metaknowledge after setting up Kyubey-proofing if she wants to talk about it. Not just that we knew about the system and other things, but that we knew things about her past when we first met, as impossible as that was. About other girls we hadn't met yet too, like Kyoko. Madoka. Even things like Sayaka's costume and who she might have wished for. We really don't know how, and we're sorry we kept that from her- both at the time and for this long. But we were...scared to talk about it at first.
[x]If Mami didn't want to study or talk about it, go to sleep.[/b]
=====​
Great success.
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 1
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 13, 2016

- #76,740

You exhale. "Alright, Mami," you say, smiling at her. You... you were considering telling her about yourself. How you knew about her - about everyone, and what's to come. Or what was to come, really, now that you've changed everything.
It can wait. It's not fair to her, if you did this now.
Mami smiles at you, packing up her textbook and notes. "I... I should be alright," she says, taking a breath. She nods decisively. "I'll be alright."
"Good," you say, beaming at her. "Would you like to shower first? Your hair takes longer to dry."
"I think so," she agrees, standing and twisting from side to side. She groans in relief as her spine pops. "If you're sure, Sabrina?"
"Of course," you say, motioning her towards the bathroom. "I'll be here."
"Alright," she says, smiling at you. She pads over to the bathroom, peeking back at you one last time before disappearing inside. You hear the water start up a few moments later.
You flop back on the sofa and stare up at the roof. "Blagh," you complain, directed at nothing in particular. It's been a long day - then again, they're all long days, you'd swear.
You mentally review what you need to do tomorrow. The most important thing is Oriko, really. You still need to see... what's going on with her Soul Gem. You might want to check for Sasa in the city, too.
You frown. Sasa could be a real danger, depending on how her powers work on you. And you do need to talk to Kyouko at some point, too, about Walpurgisnacht.
Hm.
Ah, well. You'll sleep on it, and hopefully wake up with a clearer mind.
For now, you click the television on and let the noise, some insipid drama, roll over you as your mind wanders. Briefly, you conside the state of your finances, such as they are - you're independently, if less than legitimately, wealthy, and that'll last you a good long while.
On the other hand... You've considered going global. You want to help all puella magi, after all. And that is going to take some financing. Heh. You could always get Oriko to play the stock market for you. What's the worst that could happen? You doubt that anyone could possibly pin anything on either of you.
As you finish that thought, the bathroom door clicks open, and you turn to see Mami emerging, eyes hunting for you. You wave at her, smiling, and her worry melts away into a warm smile. "Hi, Sabrina," she says.
"Hi, Mami," you say, beaming back at her.
She returns to towelling her hair, dangling wet and limp. "Your turn?"
"Yeah," you agree, hopping off the sofa and heading towards the bathroom. You leave the television on. "I won't take long, OK?"
"Alright," she says, smiling as you pass her.
You're as good as your word - you only take about ten minutes in the shower, and leave it to find Mami dressed in her pajamas, blow drying her hair in the bedroom. She smiles, and hands you the hairdryer.
Eventually, you're both ready for sleep. Mami, sitting on her bed, gives you an uncertain look that immediately clears up when you sit on the bed next to her and flop over. Mami joins you in lying down a moment later, switching the light off.
She cuddles against your back, hesitantly at first and then putting her arm over your waist when you don't pull away. "Good night, Sabrina," she whispers.
"Good night, Mami," you respond, smiling in the darkness and pulling the covers up over the both of you. "I'll wake up early, but you sleep in, OK?"
"Eh?" Mami asks.
"You have a test tomorrow, and I don't," you point out. And you're not sure you actually need to sleep, anyway. "I can manage breakfast and lunch myself. And I know-" you reach up to pat her hand, "-but it's just one morning, and I don't mind. OK?"
"I-" Mami seems conflicted, her voice sleepy.
"Just this one time. Let me make cook for you," you say. "And it's too comfortable to argue, right?"
"Mmmmnm," she says. "Alright. G'night."
"'night, Mami," you say, snuggling more comfortably under the covers, Mami nestled against your back.
This is nice. It... really is.
With a content sigh, you let yourself drift off.
=====​
You climb muzzily from the depths of sleep. There's a warm presence wrapped around you, and you take a moment to remember that's Mami, making good headway towards filling your daily quota of hugs. Then again, does this count as just one long hug, or multiple hugs?
Hm. Maybe something to consider later.
You blink at the clock. About time to get up. Gently, you ease yourself out from under the covers and Mami's arm. Her face crumples into a displeased pout as you slip from her grasp, and she pats at the mattress where you just were before curling into a little ball on top of what warmth is left.
You huff a quiet laugh and tuck the covers back around her before heading out of the room to wash up and prepare breakfast.
A simple breakfast for today, you muse as you pull the refrigerator open. You take a moment to stare at the contents, trying to decide on something, before pushing it shut and hunting around in the cupboards for the rice. Porridge will do. You chew your lip as you scoop out rice for porridge and fill up the rice cooker for breakfast. Maybe a bit of chicken?
You click the news on as you wait for the porridge to boil, chopping up vegetables and some pork for lunch.
"... multiple fatalities caused by a major accident in downtown Mitakihara yesterday evening. Investigations are ongoing..."
Tsk. That's... yeah. With the density of pedestrian traffic in Mitakihara... You sigh as you dump the pork into a pot to stew a bit.
"... Sozoumachi metro line will close at eleven thirty PM today for maintenance. Commuters are advised..."
By the time Mami stumbles out of the bathroom, rubbing at her eyes and hair a tousled mess, you've concluded there's nothing much of note happening. You click the news off and turn to set out steaming bowls of porridge with salted salmon and scallions and some other toppings on the side.
"Good morning, Mami," you say brightly, turning away from the table to pack up lunch. Nothing fancy, just some vegetables and braised pork and rice. A little more of a Chinese slant towards the cooking, you suppose. And not the terrible American 'Chinese' food, either. Proper Chinese food.
"Good morning, Sabrina," she says, stifling a yawn and smiling sleepily at you. "Oh, you've finished breakfast already..."
"I did," you say, putting the lunchboxes down and walking over to give her a hug. "Good morning, Mami. I said I would, remember?"
"I know, but..." Mami mumbles against your shoulder.
"No, no buts," you say, releasing the hug to smile at her. "Anyway, breakfast is served."
Mami sighs, giving you a fond smile before moving to the table. "It smells good," she says.
"It's just porridge," you say, pulling a chair out for yourself and sitting. "Well... let's eat!"
You start to spoon up the porridge, adding a bit of salmon and savouring it.
"GOOD MORNING, SABRINA." Sayaka's telepathic voice just about splits your head open from the sheer volume, and you clear a good handspan off your chair from sheer surprise. Across the table, Mami twitches too.
A flurry of startled, irritated voices follow.
"Sayaka!"
"Sayaka, what are you doing?"
"Sayaka?"
"What do you want." You can practically feel the accompanying glower from Homura.
You raise your eyebrow at Mami, and she shrugs.
"What are you doing, Sayaka?" you ask.
"... damn it," she grumbles. "Doesn't really have the same effect, does it? I was just trying to irritate you by being all cheerful in the morning."
You snort. "It doesn't work if you aren't actually a morning person," you point out, meeting Mami's eyes across the table. She giggles.
"Sayaka... it's too early for this," Madoka complains.
"Ehehe, sorry," Sayaka responds. "Uh... good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, everyone," Mami says.
"Good morning!" Madoka says.
"Mmm, 'morning, everyone," you say, continuing to eat.
"Good morning," Homura says, voice as dispassionate as it always is.
"Good morning," Hitomi adds. "You seem cheerful this morning, Sayaka?"
"Ah, it's a good day," Sayaka responds.
"Mmm," Mami agrees.
"Anyway, how's everybody this morning?" you ask.
"Good!" Sayaka says.
"Um... yes, I'm good," Madoka agrees.
"I'm doing alright," Hitomi says, her mental voice thoughtful.
"Oh hey! Mami, Sabrina? Homura? I meant to ask, are we gonna go hunt a Witch today?"
"I will likely have errands to run," Homura says. And that's a no in other words, isn't it?
"Aw, OK," Sayaka says. "Mami, Sabrina?"
[] Write-in
[x] Quiz Mami on the way to school.
=====​
Here ends Book 2, chapter 5: This Mortal Coil, and here begins chapter 6: Anomalous Materials.
Last edited: Jan 13, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 2
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 17, 2016

- #77,443

You debate that with yourself for a moment, glancing at Mami with a questioning little quirk of your eyebrows. She nods, smiling at you. "Sure," you say. You... you had considered putting off Sayaka going on a hunt for a while, but you've been neglecting it for a while. "Why not? After school, maybe, though uh, we do need to pick up supplies for the picnic tomorrow."
"Alright, sounds cool!" Sayaka says. "Anyway, gonna go get ready for school now. See you all soon!"
Speaking of cool things, you are still lugging that katana around, you muse as you trade farewells with the others. Weren't you going to give it to Sayaka for fun? Then again, you could keep it for yourself, too. Also for fun, coincidentally. And of course there's the lazy option, which is to leave it inside your cloud of Grief.
Always with the tough decisions.
Speaking of which, you do have a rather a lot of Grief now. You know it's there, a huge mass always on the peripheral of your mind.
Mami smiles at you across the table. "Everyone's cheerful today," she says.
"Yeah," you agree, smiling at her as you spoon up more porridge. "It's nice."
"Mmm!" she says, spoon clinking as she scrapes the bottom of the bowl.
You finish breakfast and clean up the dishes in a companionable silence, bumping shoulders with Mami. Taking turns, you change for the day, Mami into her school uniform and yourself into a nice blouse and skirt.
Before long, you're walking down the sidewalks, quizzing Mami on her test as you follow the crowds flowing through the streets. There's always so much human traffic in Mitakihara, great crowds of people walking politely and calmly - rarely do you see anyone jostling to try and get ahead.
"Alright, tell me... the types of sediment transport," you say, head nearly bumping Mami's as you walk side by side so that you can hear each other.
"Ah..." Mami's brow wrinkles. "There are... three of them. Suspended load, bed load, and..."
"Yup," you confirm as you turn the corner to the miniature park fronting Mitakihara Middle School. "One more?"
"Dissolved load!" A relieved smile appears on Mami's face. "Right?"
"Yup!" you confirm, smiling at Mami. "Well done, Mami! Can you tell me what they are?"
"Ah, yes, all three are ways in which a river or stream can carry types of sediment. The dissolved load, is, ah, ions from chemical weathering-" she glances at you, and you nod confirmation, "-and is a strong contributer to the, ah, salt export from lakes and-"
"Mami! Sabrina!" Sayaka's voice rings out over the chatter of students. You look up, and spot her waving exuberantly at you. You hold one finger up at her in a wait-a-tick gesture, and she falls silent, eyebrows cocked quizzically at you.
You smile at Mami. "Last question?"
Mami smiles back at you as you stroll towards Sayaka. "Ah, well, bed and suspended transport are very closely related, and they're more of a spectrum of the sediment mass - the heaviest ones will... roll across the bottom of the river, pushed by the current, whereas the suspended load consists of particulates small enough to float in the current."
"Perfect," you say, beaming at her. "Hi, Sayaka."
The bleunette pulls a face as you reach her. "Ugh, geography?"
"Hello, Sayaka," Mami says, smiling at Sayaka. "Yes, Sabrina's helping me to revise for a test."
"Good morning!" You spot Madoka coming, waving at you as she walks up from behind. Homura trails a step behind, amethyst eyes flicking to Sayaka, then you.
"'Morning!" Sayaka calls, grinning at her friend. "'Morning, Homura."
"Good morning," Homura says, toneless as ever.
You all exchange greetings, everyone cheerful this morning, and you head to school, chattering. Hitomi joins you at the school gates, arriving as she usually does by car.
"So Miss Saotome picked on Nakazawa again," Sayaka says, shaking her head. "What was it this time? Favourite drink? We can't even drink yet!"
Madoka shakes her head, looking mournful. "She's been dumped," she comments.
"Again," Hitomi says, an amused smile curling the side of her mouth.
"Again!" Sayaka exclaims. "Wasn't even a few days!"
You snort. "Does she just have terminally bad luck, or bad taste?"
Sayaka exchanges a look with Madoka. They both shrug.
"Both?" Sayaka asks.
"Both," Hitomi agrees.
Mami nods too. "Both."
Madoka looms torn for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Both."
"... OK then," you say as you reach the school gates.
Mami giggles, patting your shoulder.
You laugh and pull her into a hug.
"Anyway, we're here," you say, releasing Mami. "So... See you all for lunch?"
"Yep!" Sayaka says, punching the air. "You gotta teach me how to do the building jumping thing."
"Well, mostly I fly these days, but yeah, it's on the list. Right, Mami?" You smile at Mami.
"Right!" Mami agrees, beaming. Her smile fades a little. "See you soon, Sabrina."
"See you," you say, giving her a warm smile.
You trade goodbyes with the others, and wave them into the school - Sayaka marching at the front of the group with an irrepressible grin, Hitomi's school bag and her own bouncing on her shoulder. Said verdette walks at her side, trailed by Madoka and Homura. And of course, Mami, peeking back at you before finally stepping into the building.
You nod to yourself, exhaling. Throwing the truancy officer a friendly smile, you pivot on your heel and wander off. You stroll along the streets, thinking. You have things to do this morning.
Witches. You have been kind of shirking your hunting duties. In favour of arguably more important things, but...
Witches kill people. And hell, that accident might have been a Witch, fat on kills.
Tsk. So your first task is to do something about that, then.
Witches, Witches, Witches, you muse as you wander down an alley and transform. Ugh. Always an unpleasant topic. You crouch and leap, bounding up the walls to reach the rooftop of the apartment block.
Of course, if Madokami comes into existence... do girls really Witch out? She catches them at the very last minute and brings them to Madokahalla, or whatever you want to call it.
Which does suggest the idea of Witching out Homur-
You stagger.
You catch yourself before you fall off the edge of the roof and fall to a knee. Dry heaves wrack your body, and you retch, trying to keep your breakfast down.
The moment passes, and you breathe shakily, spitting the bile from your mouth.
You stand on trembling knees, turning over to flop with your back against the raised wall lining the roof.
"Are you OK, Sabrina?" a sweet, telepathic voice intrudes on your thoughts, followed by the furry white presence of the Incubator, tail lashing vigorously behind it.
[] Write-in
[x] After everyone goes to school, get some distance and deploy the privacy bubble. Check the book of Witches Homura gave us. See in particular if anything might be related to the area the pedestrian accidents happened in. Look for Witches that might appear around this time.
[x] Run a sweep of warehouse-kun.
[x] Deal with any and all witches you encounter.
[x] Do a quick check for potentials on the way.
[x] If there's nothing of note, go talk to Oriko face to face. Employ the privacy bracelets. Greet Kirika.
-[x] How are you?
-[x] Is it okay to ask some questions?
-[x] Euroguca
--[x] What would happen if we pinged her early to get her to arrive sooner? Are there scenarios where we actively make things worse or drive her off by taking action? Can she (euroguca) and will she help? Any ideas on convincing her to help?
-[x] Potentials
-[x] Other visions
-[x] Sasa Yuuki
-[x] Asunaro
-[x] Feathers
-[x] Telling Sayaka about Oriko
[x] Small talk with Kirika
=====​
Oh, here we are again.
Last edited: Jan 18, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 3
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 21, 2016

- #78,410

You hack, clearing bile and phlegm from the back of your throat, and spit it to the side.
You touch your Soul Gem with shaking fingers. Deep, bilious purple gathers under the shining, silvery surface, and you draw away a thick rope of Grief. It hangs in the air, roiling eddies of dark, nearly black purple speckled with vomit green and congealed blood red.
A breath in.
You are Sabrina.
A breath out.
Maybe you don't really know who you were. You don't know if there was a 'were', or whether that question should be a 'what'. Some days, you wonder if you aren't Walpurgisnacht or something odd like that. Or perhaps a manifestation of Madoka's Wish.
A breath in.
What you do know...
You're going to save everyone. That's who you are. You're going to break this entire, lousy system over your knee, and you're going to make things better for those who matter to you. Your friends, and everyone.
Mami, Homura, Madoka, Sayaka, Kyouko, Hitomi. Masami and Hiroko and Rin and Sakura and even Ono and everyone you've met.
They're your friends.
... Well, you're not sure about Ono, but you're going to save her anyway.
It's why you're here, in some ways.
You sigh, forcing your shoulders to ease. You flick your fingers vaguely at the cloud. It collapses, imploding into a handful of marbles.
"Sabrina?" Kyuubey asks, tail undulating behind it in slow, sinuous motions.
"I have some Grief to give you," you say, voice remote. You don't like Kyuubey. Madokami alone knows how much you despise the thing. But some part of you thinks, hopes that you can glean something useful from it.
And much as it galls you to admit it - it's arguably the actual Soul expert around here, or if not an expert, then more knowledgeable than you.
"Very well," Kyuubey says, turning to present its back to you. The little hatch fades to empty void in clear invitation. The Incubator even moves its tail out of the way, tucking it beneath its haunches.
A wave of your hand pulls your Grief around you. There's plenty here, hundreds of dark purple spheres arrayed around you in neat, concentric rings.
With a sigh and a wave of your finger, you send Grief cascading into the hole in Kyuubey's back. You take care to separate the spheres containing your, ah, loot from those you feed to the little white alien - not that those would fit, anyway. Gold and cash and your AR-15 and Homura's notebook and ammunition.
You keep your bag full of Grief marbles, of course, though you empty that out a little so it isn't outright bulging. Your obrez sits at the bottom of that bag and your lunchbox at the top of the shifting mass of marbles. Eyeing the sheer quantity of Grief you're going to dump, you sigh, and sit crosslegged on the rooftop - it's not like you're particularly worried about dirtying your costume.
The flow is kind of hypnotic to watch, you muse as you prop your chin on your fist. Deep purple, speckled with muted, kaleidoscopic patterns twisting through an endless abyss.
It takes a while for the torrent of Grief flowing into Kyuubey's back to come to an end. You sit back with a sigh, watching as Kyuubey seems to notice the lack of a continued flow of Grief. The alien squirms about on the spot, rolling over to display its belly before hopping to its feet.
"Thank you, Sabrina!" Kyuubey says. "Will you talk to me?"
You sigh again, considering the little alien. It looks entirely too innocuous for what it is, which is really the point - even knowing that it's a ruthless, manipulative bastard of an alien, you have to admit it looks utterly adorable.
Except for the staring.
That's creepy.
And the ear hoops. Seriously, what's up with those? They're just... hovering there. You vaguely wonder how they work.
Rather than answer its question directly, you start off on a tangent. "You were... distressing Mami earlier, but I am curious what your analysis of Oriko's condition is, if you're willing to share it," you say, leaning forward a little.
"That's simple," Kyuubey answers, stalking around in a little circle with tail lashing at the air. "However, I'm curious. Was she not your enemy?"
"She was," you agree. "But she's my prisoner. I have an obligation to fix her." That's technically true. You... honestly, you consider Oriko a friend, at this point, and you'd help her for that alone.
Kyuubey stares at you for a moment. "The cause of her condition is simple. She's rejecting, consciously or not, her Wish."
Your lips tighten a hair. Yeah. That was always a possibility. "Is the pain she's experiencing normal for something like this?" you ask.
"No," Kyuubey responds. "Different magical girls have different reactions."
"And Oriko's pain, and the distortion in her Soul, are caused by the rejection of her Wish?" you persist. You're well and truly mindful of Kyuubey's little word traps. It didn't specifically state causation - it just implied it.
"Yes," Kyuubey states, sitting on its haunches to stare up at you with head tilted slightly to the side.
You meet its eyes in a staring match, clear blue against flat, lifeless red. It's like trying to win a staring contest with a cat.
"Is there anything else, Sabrina?" Kyuubey asks.
[] Write-in
[x] After everyone goes to school, get some distance and deploy the privacy bubble. Check the book of Witches Homura gave us. See in particular if anything might be related to the area the pedestrian accidents happened in. Look for Witches that might appear around this time.
[x] Run a sweep of warehouse-kun.
[x] Deal with any and all witches you encounter.
[x] Do a quick check for potentials on the way.
[x] If there's nothing of note, go talk to Oriko face to face. Employ the privacy bracelets. Greet Kirika.
-[x] How are you?
-[x] Is it okay to ask some questions?
-[x] Euroguca
--[x] What would happen if we pinged her early to get her to arrive sooner? Are there scenarios where we actively make things worse or drive her off by taking action? Can she (euroguca) and will she help? Any ideas on convincing her to help?
-[x] Potentials
-[x] Other visions
-[x] Sasa Yuuki
-[x] Asunaro
-[x] Feathers
-[x] Telling Sayaka about Oriko
[x] Small talk with Kirika
=====​
Apologies for the long delay between updates. I haven't lost motivation to write, just that final year uni's been kicking my ass.
Last edited: Jan 21, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 4
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 25, 2016

- #79,110

"No, that's it," you say. You purse your lips, considering what it's told you - very little of substance, truth be told. What's probably definitive confirmation that Oriko's condition is caused by the rejection of her Wish
Probably.
"Very well," Kyuubey agrees, eyes still fixed on yours and tail flicking in slow, metronomic motion. "Goodbye!"
The Incubator turns and slinks off to the edge of the roof, hopping right off.
You blink. That... was surprisingly painless - you were kind of expecting it to try and stick with you and badger you with more questions or something.
Of course, Kyuubey ostensibly leaving doesn't preclude it following you around, or surveying you from afar. You've... pretty much been running on the conclusion that that's exactly what it's been doing, in any case.
It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you! Or at least it's healthy paranoia, and against an alien empire with purportedly universe spanning reach, you can't be too paranoid.
That's what you tell yourself, anyway. Though whether Kyuubey's out to get you is something you debate hotly with yourself.
You huff, looking at the Grief you've left behind. You kept enough, really - a handful of large spheres of Grief. That will suffice for wings, or a Mobile Oppression Fortress or privacy bubble or something, though sadly not a MECHA GURREN ZILLA LAGAAN.
In any case, you have things to do. You can ruminate about Kyuubey later.
You look up, wings unfurling behind you. Great swathes of Grief cut through the morning sky, and a powerful stroke launches you skyward.
You close your eyes, exhaling as you spiral upwards into the cloudy sky.
You'll go on an impromptu patrol of sorts. That area with the car crash needs checking, in particular.
Hah. It's just serendipity, surely. You happened to hear it on the news - but it can't have been the only accident that happened in Mitakihara, just the only one that happened to be reported when you turned in. You mean, it could be a Witch, but not every accident is caused by a Witch and not every Witch causes accidents.
Hm. Downtown Mitakihara. They didn't give an address, but you think you know where it is, from that shot they showed.
You swoop past the skyscrapers, soaring above the glittering steel and glass towers. In the distance, you can see the early morning sun sparkling off Mitakihara river. The sound of pedestrains and vehicles drift up to you, muffled by the distance.
Downtown, downtown... You alight on a building, looking around. You're going to have to get down to the ground level, you reckon.
You do just that, leaping off the side of the building. A massive downstroke of your wings breaks your fall, stirring up a cloud of sand and trash. Detransforming, you wander out of the alley.
It's loud here. There's still people commuting, presumably to work - hundreds of soberly dressed office workers cramming the walkways from side to side. And it was... that way, you think. You let yourself move with the crowd, drifting in the direction you want to go.
You spot the bits of broken glass scattered about the floor first - they haven't cleaned it up yet. And then you notice the signs put up, with a tacked on date and information. "Appeal for witnesses: FATAL ACCIDENT: 07-07-11 SATURDAY 5:30PM. Please call..."
Yep. This is the place.
You drift over to a corner out of the flow of human traffic, beside a little ramen stand. You push your senses out, listening without your ears and seeing without your eyes.
It's an odd thing, your Grief sense.
You don't find any magical girls here, nor any Witches in the immediate area as you push your senses, inspecting everything within your range. Thoughtfully, you merge back into the crowds, walking a slow spiral around the site of the accident. As you walk, you take a moment to turn your senses to your side, inspecting Elsa Maria's Grief Seed.
It seems like a normal Grief Seed, as far as you can see. There's... nothing special about it.
You sigh, pulling your phone from your pocket to check the time as you turn down an alleyway. Barely past nine. You transform, and with a few quick bounds, you hop up to the roof of the office building.
A wave of your hand draws Grief around you, wispy torrents melting from your ever present cloud of Grief spheres and pouring into a thin shell around you. One particular sphere of Grief arrives by your side just as the shield seals itself fully. In absolute darkness, you exhale, eyes falling closed as you bear down with your will.
Isolation.
When you open your eyes again - it's to absolute darkness, and a sensation pressing on you. Witch. You purse your lips, and another touch of will adds a gentle glow to the inside of the sphere, emanating from all angles. It's a good thing you're not particularly bothered by the dark.
Roller coasters, though. Those do bother you a bit. Not terribly badly, considering that you can fly, but still.
You shake those thoughts free, and dip your fingers into the sphere of Grief hovering patiently at your side. The solid Grief parts like oil before your hand, and you withdraw Homura's notebook of Witches.
You read by Witch-light, paging through notes and descriptions written in Homura's delicate hand.
You find... hm. There's a reference here to a train-themed Witch, that's... the timescale's right, certainly, but the location is a few kilometers from here. Chewing on the lip, you stare at the description in the book for a long moment. Train Witch with huge cutting circular saws for wheels and teeth and stuff.
Hm.
You flip through the rest of the notebook, finding nothing really relevant. Homura had mentioned that she hadn't written in every Witch, just those she'd encountered more, but still.
You grumble to yourself, dissolving the... you'll call it an isolation field, because why not. The Grief pours away, wispy torrents imploding back into the usual spheres.
You walk over to the edge of the roof, looking down as you contemplate your next course of action. Hm. You could go after that Witch, maybe. Or you could go to Oriko's - you have a laundry list of things you want to consult her about, and you're not done with helping her, in any case.
"Hmmhmmm," you hum quietly to yourself.
"Ah, sorry, Miss Bennouna," Mami's voice intrudes in your head. She stumbles a little on the name. "This is my friend Sabrina. Sabrina, this is Miss Nadia Bennouna, she's a travelling magical girl."
"'ello~!" A light alto responds in heavily accented but intelligible Japanese. "Pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Bennouna," you respond politely.
"Sabrina, Miss Bennouna is a travelling magical girl who carries news between cities," Mami explains. "She's come through Mitakihara a few times before."
"N'aam, yes," the new magical girl says. "There are interesting things 'appening, I thought best to go to Mitakihara early, fimti?"
Mami doesn't say anything, clearly waiting to follow your lead.
[] Write-in
-[x] Borrow some grief from Elsa Maria if you don't have enough to deploy the privacy bubble in regards to consulting Homura's witch book.
--[x] On that note, observe Elsa Maria's seed for any irregularities.
[x] After everyone goes to school, get some distance and deploy the privacy bubble. Check the book of Witches Homura gave us. See in particular if anything might be related to the area the pedestrian accidents happened in. Look for Witches that might appear around this time.
[x] Run a sweep of warehouse-kun.
[x] Deal with any and all witches you encounter.
[x] Do a quick check for potentials on the way.
[x] If there's nothing of note, go talk to Oriko face to face. Employ the privacy bracelets. Greet Kirika.
-[x] How are you?
-[x] Is it okay to ask some questions?
-[x] Euroguca
--[x] What would happen if we pinged her early to get her to arrive sooner? Are there scenarios where we actively make things worse or drive her off by taking action? Can she (euroguca) and will she help? Any ideas on convincing her to help?
-[x] Potentials
-[x] Other visions
-[x] Sasa Yuuki
-[x] Asunaro
-[x] Feathers
-[x] Telling Sayaka about Oriko
[x] Small talk with Kirika
=====​
With thanks to @Rook for help with the Moroccan Arabic vocabulary.
Last edited: Jan 25, 2016
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 28, 2016

- #79,770

"Well," you say, turning away from the edge of the roof. Other direction. "First things first-" you switch smoothly to maghrebi, her dialect of Arabic. "Hello! Welcome to Mitakihara."
You grin. You can feel the stunned surprise from the other two people in the chat.
"You speak darija?" Nadia asks in the same language, clearly thrown for a loop. "God, didn't think I'd run into anyone speaking my mother tongue out here. Sabrina isn't a Japanese name, is it?"
"Nah," you say as you throw yourself off the roof - the location Homura indicated in her notebook isn't really far enough for you to bother flying. "But yeah, I speak it." You switch back to Japanese as you land smoothly on the next roof over, shifting into a sprint without breaking step. "So, yes. Welcome to Mitakihara. What kind of things have you heard?"
"Aaaa, t' usual," Nadia responds in her accented Japanese. "There's rumours of a magical girl who can clean Soul Gems. Only thing is, quite a few people are sayin' t'at."
"Ah... well," you say, bounding for the next roof over. "Um. Yeah, that would be me."
"Really now?" Nadia asks, voice turning guarded. "This, I will see for myself."
"It's true, Miss Bennouna," Mami chimes in. "Sabrina can truly cleanse Soul Gems."
"She's not t' first to claim to be able to do so," Nadia says, her accent thickening to nigh incomprehensibility as she speaks faster. "I mean no offens', Sabrina, but there's been cons and wretched tricks for pr'bably 's long as this system's been in place, fimti?"
"None taken," you respond, weaving around a roof vent. You want to make a good first impression, anyway, even if you were inclined to take offense. "Though I should hope Mami's word means something."
"Yes," Nadia says, obviously forcing herself to speak slowly and intelligibly. "Dozens of rumours from all around th' area, and Tomoe Mami herself backing it. That's why I'm coming to look instead of, uh, buggering the hell out of the area until the fighting is finished. It never ends well."
"That's... fair," you admit. "Anything juicy from other cities?"
"Ah-ah-ah," Nadia fires back. "You know how the game works, no info 'til I trade, fimti?"
"I don't, actually," you respond amiably. Fimti. Something like 'capsice'. "I'm mostly new to this."
"Um, well, Miss Bennouna trades information in person only," Mami offers. "And only for Grief Seeds, or an agreement to let her hunt."
"Oh," you say, landing smoothly and pushing off again. You're quite proud that you haven't shattered any rooftops yet. "My apologies, then."
"No offense taken," Nadia responds. "I do this because I need to make a living, fimti?"
"Yeah, makes sense," you agree.
"Will we be using the usual rate?" Mami inquires. "Three hunts, and one Grief Seed?"
"N'aam, yes," Nadia agrees.
"Well," you say, pursing your lips for a moment as you stop at the edge of the roof, looking around as you decide which direction to head in. "I should point out that I can cleanse your Soul Gem directly?"
"Oh, that's a good point," Mami says. "Miss Bennouna, Sabrina can keep your Soul Gem clean for the duration of your stay here."
Nadia pauses thoughtfully. "How do you say it? Subject to renegotiation."
"Hmm... that's fair," you agree. That-a-way, you reckon. You leap off towards your left - that building looks easier to get to.
"Ah, yes. When will you arrive, Miss Bennouna?" Mami asks.
"I will be swinging by Sendai briefly," Nadia responds. "To arrive in Mitaki'ara Sunday morning."
"Sunday morning," Mami says. "Your own accomodations?"
"Yes," the presumably Moroccan girl respond. "As usual."
"Understood," Mami says briskly. "Contact us when you arrive, then? Sabrina, do you have anything else?"
"Well..." you say as your prowl along the roofs. "Not really business, but if you don't mind indulging my curiosity, what's life as a travelling magical girl like?"
The traveller doesn't respond immediately, falling silent for a while. You bound along the rooftops, hair whipping about your face in the wind of your passage. "Hard," she says. "Not every magical girl's as nice as Miss Tomoe. I ask for payment first to be sure, fimti?"
"Mmm," you agree, stopping to look around again. You're in the area where Homura said the Witch would be, but you don't sense anything around. "How do you get around over that kind of distance, though?"
"Flying," she responds. "Budget airlines are cheap. I hitch 'ike the rest of the way if I can, or bus, or something."
"Huh, I see," you say, leaping for the next roof. You can search around the area a bit, you guess. She doesn't use her magic to get around? Then again, she might not have applicable magic.
"I like it," she says, the verbal equivalent of a shrug. "I have things to do; I will see you on Sunday."
"Alright, see you," Mami says.
"See you!" you say. You can feel her 'disconnecting' from the call, leaving you and Mami. "How are you, Mami?"
"I'm alright," Mami says, the warmth in her voice a sharp contrast from the businesslike tone she took with Nadia.
"Good," you say, smiling. "Is your test starting soon?"
"Next class," Mami says. "Um..."
"Yes, Mami?" you ask as you spiral steadily outwards.
"Ah... I shouldn't, but if there's any really hard questions, could I ask you for help?" Mami asks.
"Of course, Mami," you respond. Maybe she can't see your smile, but hopefully the impression goes through.
"Thank you," Mami says. "And ah, I didn't know you spoke... um, what was that language?"
You pause your fruitless search, considering that question. You've covered a fair bit of ground, and you're... not entirely sure of the answer yourself, but it just... came to you. You know it's maghrebi Arabic, also known as Darija, but how you know you can only attribute to the questionable and probably magic related circumstances surrounding your appearance.
[] Write-in
[x] Run a sweep of warehouse-kun.
[x] Deal with any and all witches you encounter.
[x] Do a quick check for potentials on the way.
[x] If there's nothing of note, go talk to Oriko face to face. Employ the privacy bracelets. Greet Kirika.
-[x] How are you?
-[x] Is it okay to ask some questions?
-[x] Euroguca
--[x] What would happen if we pinged her early to get her to arrive sooner? Are there scenarios where we actively make things worse or drive her off by taking action? Can she (euroguca) and will she help? Any ideas on convincing her to help?
-[x] Potentials
-[x] Other visions
-[x] Sasa Yuuki
-[x] Asunaro
-[x] Feathers
-[x] Telling Sayaka about Oriko
[x] Small talk with Kirika
=====​
Hmmmm.
Last edited: Jan 31, 2016
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