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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 Anomalous Materials pt. 16
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Apr 15, 2016

- #85,980

Tsk. The one question you can't give an enthusiastic yes to, much as you'd like to. Well, maybe not the one question, but... much as you'd like to, you can't give Kirika a clear answer here.
"I... yeah," you say. "I'll try. Mami's already starting to warm up to you, I think. Homura, on the other hand..." You exhale slowly, thoughtfully, as you mull over letting Kirika know. It would be a betrayal of trust, or at least, Homura could see it that way.
You don't want that.
Not just because she's an incredibly powerful magical girl, one of very few on the planet who could reliably kill you, but because...
She's your friend.
You don't want to betray her trust.
"Sabrina?" Kirika prompts.
"I'm thinking," you respond. You... Oriko already knows. She said as much, practically the second time you'd met her. And so does Kirika, really, it came up in casual conversation.
So you're not really betraying Homura's trust, really.
Right.
"She's been hurt, badly, by other versions of you," you say, voice soft. There's no one around who might hear, who could hear, with your privacy bracelets up, but it still feels strange to say it, out here in the open. "I'll work on it, but... yeah."
You debate briefly with yourself about using an analogy. Madoka is Homura's Oriko. That'd probably contextualise it perfectly for Kirika, and then again... Oriko might know, but you're not sure if you should use that comparison.
Regardless, Kirika nods. "Gotcha," she says, fang poking out of a weary grin she directs your way. "Do your best?"
"Of course," you agree.
"Anyway," Kirika says, sliding to the end of the bench and hopping to her feet. "Should be getting back to my oujo."
"What's that supposed to mean?" you ask, swinging your legs over the bench and standing. "Though, uh, I wanted to talk to Oriko about some other stuff, too."
Kirika shrugs. "I have an oujo, you have an oujo," she says, bouncing on her feet as she looks up at the sky. "What d'you want to talk to her about?"
"It's not like that, Kirika," you say patiently. Not like what, your traitorous mind can't help but muse. And are you not? "And I wanted t-"
"No, hold up a sec," Kirika says, eyes snapping to you and vibrant sharpness infusing her voice. "Listen. 'Not like that.' Not like what? Yeah, maybe you two aren't girlfriends. That doesn't matter. Like, the way you support her, and she supports you, and..." She waves her hand. "Yeah. Love her. You got that?"
Wide citrine eyes stare unblinkingly at you, her body wired and taut. You're suddenly aware that over the course of her little tirade, she'd closed the distance to you, and even if she's shorter than you, it doesn't diminish the fact she could probably gut you before you react.
You'd survive it, of course, but it would hurt. Best buddy she might be, but in Oriko's words, she's... quirky.
"Yeah," you say. "Yeah, I got it."
"Cool," she says, stepping back. The manic intensity dissolves like a storm breaking, melting into a smile. "So, what did you want to ask Oriko?"
You blink, exhaling. "Well..." you say, chewing on your lip. I wanted to discuss stuff with her, because, well... It's kind of relevant to her."
"Mm," Kirika nods. "Go on?"
"I... was planning on letting Miki Sayaka know about you two at some point," you say. "It... really is a matter of time until it gets out, really, since, you know-" you jerk your head off to the side in emphasis "-the white rat knows it."
"Who?" Kirika asks.
"Uh... Kyuubey? The Incubator?" you hazard, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not that, I know that." Kirika scowls, waving it off. "Miki Sayaka."
You blink.
And then you blink again.
"Uh..." You raise a finger. "You know, the person whose house Oriko burned down?"
"Oooh, gotcha," Kirika says, scratching her head thoughtfully as she marches back toward the house, spring in her step. "You think she'll be mad?"
You're... fairly certain Sayaka's come up in front of Kirika before. She must have. "... yes," you say carefully, following Kirika. "People tend to be mad about that kind of thing. And, uh, she tends to be very... aggressive about justice."
"Oh," Kirika says. She pauses midway through pulling the glass door open. "Ohhh. I gotcha. She'll want to burn our house down?"
"Uh," you say. You can't deny the fact that the thought has crossed your mind. Numerous times, in point of fact. You've even considered offering it up as... recompense for Oriko burning down Sayaka's house.
Kirika cups her chin. "Yeah, I gotcha," she says. "'s gonna be... delicate."
"Mmm," you say. "So that's what I wanted to ask Oriko about. Like I said, it's relevant to her, and I reckon that having some say in her own future should do her some good."
"Hrrrm..." Kirika says. "Yeah, should ask her. She's good at this kinda planning and predicting people and stuff, you know? Like you!"
You shrug. "She's better at it than I am, honestly," you say.
Kirika shrugs too. "Well, ask her, I guess," she says. "Though um..."
"Hm, Kirika?" you ask.
She hesitates before answering, meandering through the living room. "I... kinda wanted to talk to Oriko alone for a while," she says. "Um... could you make it quick?"
A blink. "Sure," you say. "I can do that."
"Great!" Kirika beams at you.
"I can hear you, you know," Oriko calls from the kitchen.
"Orikooooo!" Kirika practically vanishes from your side, a gust of wind chasing her. When you round the corner into the kitchen, you find the black haired girl sprawled out over Oriko's lap like a particularly affectionate kitten.
"Well, I didn't, but we weren't saying anything you weren't going to hear eventually, anyway," you say, giving Oriko a once over. She looks calmer, poised and centered. A closer look, though... despite the way her expression softens as she strokes Kirika's face, the lost, defeated look written in the worry lines around her eyes isn't going anywhere.
She inclines her head towards you. "What did you want to say?"
You glance at Kirika. She catches your eye, and motions towards you.
You'll take that you're to start first, then.
"Well," you begin. "I was thinking about letting Sayaka know about you guys. It's-" you raise your hands in a placating gesture as Oriko opens her mouth. "It's information that's going to get out eventually, with the Incubator around."
Oriko nods. "I agree," she says.
"And hopefully we can do it under contro-" You blink, jarred from the stream of explanation. "Wait, say that again?"
"I agree that the information will get out eventually, and I think it needs to be broken gently," Oriko says. She gives you a smile with not an ounce of mirth in it. "It's one of the ways I die. She finds out when you're not in Mitakihara." Her hand, running through Kirika's hair, slows and tightens a bit. "She dies shortly afterwards."
Kirika's hand reaches up and catches Oriko's, squeezing tightly.
"I can imagine," you say drily. Not too hard to fill in the pieces, though... you admit, you can't quite see Sayaka going for the kill. As it is, she doesn't know that her house burning down was deliberate arson, but even so.
"Soul Gem," Oriko says, watching you with a blank, unwavering expression. "Accident."
A rather nasty suspicion surfaces in your mind. Given Oriko's fatalism... Accident, or accident?
Feh.
Probably not the best to confront her about it.
"Any suggestions for breaking it to Sayaka?" you prompt. You've considered tossing her at Oriko and Kirika blind, letting her see them as people first. You do fear that it might be a bit too manipulative, though.
Oriko shrugs. "If you don't want me to die, then it would be best that it be done soon," she says. "Apart from that..." She shakes her head. "She's predisposed to dislike me. Hate me."
"She's wrong to," Kirika pipes up.
The seer shrugs with one shoulder.
[] Write-in
=====​
Here we go.
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 17
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Apr 18, 2016

- #86,548

"I can't say I don't understand where she's coming from, really," you admit, shaking your head. "Her mom got hurt, and..." You shrug. "I'm not going to be asking her to like you. Miracles and magic exist, but some things are a wee bit too much to ask and all, yeah?"
Kirika shrugs, eyes closed as she burrows into Oriko's lap. "Not saying I don't get why she thinks so," she mumbles, words muffled by the seer's skirt. "Just that she's wrong."
You snort. "Fair enough," you say, waving it off. "Look, I... her driving motivation is justice, not vengeance. I'm hopeful that I can work through this."
Kirika cracks one eye open to grin at you. "Do your best," she says, before closing her eyes and squirming to arrange herself properly across two chairs and Oriko's lap.
You vaguely wonder about her apparent forgetting about Sayaka, because now that you think about it, you're pretty sure both you and Oriko have mentioned her. It's entirely possible that she just flat out wasn't paying attention, or that she's enough of a ditz to simply forget, but... you'd think that her razor sharp focus on Oriko would let her remember.
Hm.
Considering that there's been tangible evidence of memory lapses in your friends, namely Sayaka herself... you do have to wonder about enemy action, as it were.
Oriko continues to run her fingers through Kirika's hair, slow and rhythmic. "I believe that it would be best were Sayaka informed soon," she says. "You have a picnic soon, don't you? Not then, but... perhaps soon after that. It's better to clear it earlier than to leave it to fester."
"Is that from your visions or otherwise?" you ask curiously. You feel a vague pang; Kirika had asked to let them out of the house, but you can't. And there you are having a picnic.
Ah, well.
"Common sense," Oriko says, blinking slowly. "Besides, we are in accord that Kyuubey is likely going to use it to our detriment, aren't we? The sooner it can be nipped in the bud..." She shrugs eloquently.
"Yeah, fair enough," you say, idly tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "Well... I was actually thinking of dropping in sometime soon, with Sayaka." You hasten to continue as Kirika opens her eyes, the beginnings of a frown crossing her face. "I mean - without telling her who you guys are, just introducing you blind and getting her to see you as people first?"
Oriko purses her lips, giving you a considering look. "I would be fine with that," she murmurs. "Kirika?"
"If you're fine with it, then I'm good!" Kirika chirps, beaming up at the seer.
Oriko nods at you. "I'm surprised," she notes. "I wouldn't have thought you'd suggest something like that."
"Well, if you have any ideas, I'm all ears," you say, trying to keep the defensiveness from your voice. "I mean, it's all kind of precarious, and um, well, it does involve both of you."
"Hey, there's a thought," Kirika pipes up. "You could let us out on a kinda-sorta date, and have Sayaka 'bump' into us?"
"That's not what I meant," Oriko says, shaking her head. "I mean-" She cuts herself off, shaking her head. "Nevermind that. It..." She exhales. "As long as you're around to mediate, I would say that things tend to resolve without death."
"Tend to?" you ask, gaze snapping to her.
"You can make mistakes too," Oriko says, giving you a blank, unreadable look. "And do remember that my visions are waning, and you're hard to see in the first place."
You grimace. "Fair enough," you sigh. You flick your eyes over to check the wall clock - it's closing on lunchtime. "Anyway. I guess... I should go. I'll be in touch. Will you guys be OK? Oriko?"
She nods, silver hair rippling. "I have Kirika with me," she says with a wan smile. "I'll be fine."
"You better be," you say as you push the chair back. "Both of you."
Kirika waves at you without getting up. "We'll be fine. See you, Sabrina!"
"See you, Kirika, Oriko," you say. "I'll let myself out. Wouldn't want to disturb you two, eh? Oh, and..." You crook your finger, mentally letting go of your hold on the Grief in the privacy rings. The little bands fall apart, dissolving into raw Grief you draw about your person as you start for the door.
"'preciated!" Kirika drawls.
You pause just before you exit the room, glancing back at Kirika. "Oh, um, one last thing, Kirika," you say. "Is your family doing OK? I meant to ask earlier."
"Hm?" Kirika asks, lifting her head a little to look at you. "Oh, um. They're fine, though they're, uh, worried about me. Oriko?"
"We told them that Kirika's staying over with a friend," Oriko says, bland and unruffled. "It's true enough."
"Is that... sustainable?" you ask, raising a dubious eyebrow at her.
Oriko shrugs. "It's... not a major concern," she says dismissively.
"Are you sure?" you ask.
She nods, running her fingers through Kirika's hair in slow, calming motions.
"Alright," you say, pursing your lips. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure," Oriko says with a sharp nod.
"Hm," you say. "Right. See you." With that, you head out, shaking your head.
As you head out through the living room, you hum a little to yourself, musing about the morality and potential ramifications of deceiving Sayaka. And whether it is really a deception or not. Really, if you're up front about it, you wouldn't be really be deceiving Sayaka, right? And hopefully she won't be too mad about the whole thing.
The sun beats down from above as you exit the house, the scent of slowly drying leaves and roses slapping you in the face as you carefully slide the great glass door shut behind you. Looks like it's going to be a hot day out today.
You sigh, a corner of your mind calling Grief to yourself from your ever present bevy of Grief spheres. It only takes you a minute to form your wings and throw yourself aloft, soaring under the blazing sun towards Mitakihara High.
"Ah... Sabrina?" Mami's voice prods at your mind.
"Hey, Mami," you say, smiling as you bank over a thermal. "I'm on my way to school now. How are you?"
"Ah!" her voice brightens. "I'm alright. A bit bored right now, truth be told. Mr. Shibata is not, ah, the best teacher."
"Aww," you say. "Well, lunchtime soon, right?"
"Lunchtime soon," Mami agrees. "See you soon?"
"Yup! Soon," you confirm, still smiling.
It's... nice.
Kirika has a point, you muse. Mami's not your girlfriend, and maybe she will be, maybe she won't. You want it to be on even terms with her, even if it does happen. But you do care about her. And that's enough.
You click your tongue at yourself. Enough of that. Hm. You should probably check in on Kyouko again. Which means making an appointment with secretary Yuma.
You grin to yourself as you reach out with your mind towards the diminutive green haired girl, including Kyouko in the call too. "Hello, Miss Chitose?"
"Uh... Sabrina?" the girl responds, sounding confused.
"Ah, good," you say, keeping your voice grave and serious. "So, I apologise for the last minute scheduling, but I would like to make an appointment to see Miss Sakura, maybe some time today?"
"Oh. Oh!" Yuma cottons on. "Ah, yes. Um. We should be able to slot you into her schedule, would later this afternoon be acceptable?"
"Another late working lunch?" you offer.
"Oi, don't I get a say in this?" Kyouko drawls.
Yuma talks right over her, not quite able to keep the giggling laughter from infusing her faux-formal tone. "A working lunch would be acceptable," she says. "Do we have an, um, a working agenda?"
"Well, I figure it would be a mostly off-line discussion," you say. "No prepared agenda per se."
Yuma huffs in mock-offense. "Miss Sabrina, that is not how things are done! Nevertheless, we will look forward to seeing you."
"'pparently I don't," Kyouko grumbles.
"A-ah," Yuma says. "S-sorry, big sis."
"Hm? No, no, I'm just teasin- yo, Sabrina, butt out," Kyouko says. "Lunch, yeah, whatever, call us, bye." She cuts the call off with sharp finality.
Ah. Well then.
"Right," you murmur to yourself. Tch. That's an ongoing thing, then. You really need to see about bringing Kyouko in to help with Walpurgisnacht, too, which, really, is why you want to see her. But then again, you didn't want to just bring it up so... casually over telepathy. Especially not in front of Yuma.
Mami and Kyouko's conflict, Asunaro... things on the plate that need to be resolved. Hopefully soon, and hopefully more easily. A confluence of factors... well. Then again, World War One was a confluence of factors too, and look at how that turned out.
You sigh as you coast in for a landing on the fenced off roof of Mitakihara Middle School, a few minutes early, and plop yourself down on the sun-warmed bench as you wait for the school bell to ring.
[] Write-in
=====​
Write in some lunch discussion and such!
Last edited: Apr 19, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 18
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Apr 28, 2016

- #86,698

Well. You've plenty enough to be cheerful about, really, you muse as you absently direct the Grief of your wings away. Had a nice talk with your friends, and you think you're making progress with Oriko - or at least, you've sicced Kirika on her and she's going to make progress. And Yuma is the cutest thing.
Exactly on cue, the school bell rings. A moment of bated breath, and a chant echoed a dozen times over in a dozen different classrooms -Rise! Bow!- and then an explosion of noise as the students are finally released to spill out into the corridors.
There're your friends, Sayaka and Homura walking a space apart with the shade of Grief that's probably Madoka between them. You can't sense Hitomi, but that's not surprising. And there she is, a bright, glowing presence dopplering on even your Grief sense, disdaining the elevator to take the stairs. About three at a time with a touch of enhanced strength, if you're any judge.
You're up and moving towards the stair lobby just in time for Mami to appear. And three steps later, you meet her halfway, catching her in a spinning hug.
"Hi," you say, beaming at Mami as you set her down, keeping your arms around her shoulders.
Mami smiles back. "Um... Did something happen?"
"No, not at all," you say. "I'm just happy to see you, and, well, it feels like months since I last hugged you."
She laughs. "I missed you too, Sabrina," she says, warm and fond.
"Yeah," you say. "Yeah, I missed you. C'mon."
You tug Mami over to the benches and sit, Mami tucking herself beside you with a content sigh. This is nice. Just... relaxing like this.
Voices start to echo up the stairwell as the rest of your friends arrive - Sayaka first, bounding up the stairs with an eager smile on her face. "Hi, sempais~" she calls.
"Hi, Sayaka," you greet back, echoed by Mami.
Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi follow at a more leisurely pace, greeting you in turn.
"'morning, everyone!" you say, beaming around as they settle down on the benches, each producing their own lunchbox - except Hitomi, who accepts hers from Sayaka with an exasperated sigh. You pull yours out from your bag, laying it on your lap and flipping it open.
Sayaka, sitting on Madoka's left, leans forward to peer at your lunchbox. "Are those raspberries?"
"You're a raspberry," you counter, sticking your tongue out at her. "Want some?"
"What's that even supposed to mean?" Sayaka asks. "Trade you some watermelon for it?"
"Sure," you agree, swapping half your portion of fruit with Sayaka. "Mami?" You turn to your friend, and pass her some of the melon.
"Ah, thank you, Sabrina," Mami says, beaming at you and swapping back some of the raspberries to make up for it.
Madoka bumps her shoulder against Homura, sitting on her right. "Homura? You're quiet," she says.
Homura's expression softens a little. "Just... thinking," she says.
"Oh..." Madoka says. "Nothing bad, I hope?"
"No," the black haired girl says. "Not at all." Violet eyes flicker over to you for a moment, and then back to Madoka.
Hitomi giggles, tucking into her lunch with neat, dainty bites. "How have you been, Sabrina?"
You shrug, smiling as you start eating. Little octopus sausages again today, with some tofu and minced meat sauce on rice alongside some teriyaki tuna. "Not bad," you say. "Had a fairly productive, if annoying morning." And that's dangerous territory with Sayaka around, so you hasten to add, "I hunted a Witch, too."
Hitomi wrinkles her nose. "What is that like?"
"Well... My powers are kind of very very good at fighting Witches, so..." you shrug. "I won't say it was easy, but I have an easier time than most magical girls, honestly."
Mami nods in agreement, nudging you lightly with her elbow. "Witch fights can be utterly terrifying."
"They can," you agree, glancing at Sayaka.
Sayaka rocks back and forth. "But I'll have both of you with me later, right?" she asks, her serious expression nevertheless tinged by excitement. "And, um, Homura, if you can make it?"
Homura shrugs with a shoulder, slowly putting away her lunch with mechanical efficiency. "We'll see."
Undeterred, Sayaka grins at Homura. "Aw, c'mon. We'd be happy to have you along, right?"
"Right!" Mami agrees, nodding.
"We would, Homura," you affirm.
Homura's gaze cuts across to you for a moment. "Unfortunately, I will have an errand to run," she says. She almost sounds regretful.
"Ah, well," you say, giving her a quick smile. Probably something to do with stalking Madoka to make sure Kyuubey doesn't snipe her with a contract or some such. Which... well, you can see the reasoning behind that, certainly.
The conversation lapses into silence for a moment, before Sayaka strikes up a conversation with Madoka and Homura about their homework.
"Mmm," Mami hums, savouring some cod. "The fish is good, Sabrina."
"Oh psht, I just broiled it with a bit of sauce," you demur, waving off the compliment. "Actually, I think I used a bit too much mirin."
"No, not at all. It's delicious!" she protests, smiling at you. "And I can't even say I had a hand in cooking this, this time."
"Eh," you say, shrugging. "You needed the sleep. And it was worth it, right?"
Mami shrugs, her smile undiminished.
You chuckle, waggling your chopsticks at her. "Don't give me that," you say.
"Give you what?" Mami asks, angelically innocent.
"Oh, I see how it is," you say, rolling your eyes. You shift a little to address everyone. "So! Do you girls think I should get glasses?"
Your question is followed by a moment of faintly confused silence.
"... Do you need glasses, Sabrina?" Hitomi asks.
"Nooooo?" you say, holding your hand out to the side. A casual thought calls Grief to you, already moulding itself into a new shape before it slaps lightly into your hand. Squelching some sharp, inner voice of refusal, you drop the shutter shades onto your face and beam around at everyone.
Sayaka tries to hold in her laughter. She really does, one hand clamped over her mouth.
"Pffffftaahaahahaaaaahahahaaaa-"
The explosion of laughter sets off Madoka and Hitomi. The greenette giggles into her hand, polite and proper, while Madoka just laughs, loud and happy. Even Homura seems amused, a smile creeping onto her face and panicking in unfamiliar territory.
"No," Mami says, firmly removing the shades from your face despite the amused smile on her face.
"Yes," you insist, the shades melting into Grief that slips through Mami's fingers and reforms on your face.
"No," she says again, snatching at the shades.
"No?" you ask, shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"No," Mami says, poking you between your eyes.
This draws a fresh set of howls from Sayaka as she slaps at the bench, nearly spilling her lunch over the floor. "Oh my god you two-"
"Fine," you grumble. "Proper glasses?" With a flick of your hand, Grief obligingly forms a proper set of rimless glasses in the same deep purple as it always is. Without lenses, granted.
"A-ah, if you don't -snrt- need g-glasses," Madoka manages between giggles. "Why would y-you want them?"
You shrug. "Because they look cute!"
"You don't need the glasses," Mami says firmly, smiling at you. "You look just fine without them."
Madoka giggles.
"Fiiiiine," you grumble. "How about you, Mami?" You remove the glasses and poke them towards Mami, arms first.
Mami shakes her head, but obligingly puts them on.
"There," you say, nodding in satisfaction. "See?"
"Sabrina's -snrk- right," Sayaka offers, voice still bubbling with giggles. "You do look cute with glasses."
"Mmmhm!" you say, beaming at Mami. "Suits you, Mami."
Mami smiles uncertainly. "Well..." she says. "I really don't need spectacles..."
"They're just fashion accessories," you say, shrugging.
"Maybe?" Mami says, taking the glasses off and offering them back to you.
"Pass 'em around?" you suggest, nodding at the others.
Madoka's the first to accept the glasses and try them on with a happy smile. "How do I look?"
Sayaka grins. "Perfect," she says. "Oi, transfer student, you've been quiet. Whatcha think?"
Homura regards Madoka for long enough to make her start fidgeting, before finally speaking. "It looks good on you, Madoka," she says.
"Yeah, see, even she thinks so!" Sayaka says. "Guuuys? Back us up?"
"I have to admit, they do suit you, Madoka," Hitomi agrees.
"Mmmhm!" you agree, mumbling around a mouthful of sausage.
The rest of lunch passes with happy chatter, as you pass the glasses around for comparison. Homura turns them down, and you don't really press the issue - you'd debated it with yourself enough, really. And speaking of which...
"Hey, Homura?" you say as you lay aside your empty lunchbox. "Could I have a word?"
She nods at you, laying aside her own lunchbox. "I was going to ask," she notes.
"Alright," you say, bouncing to your feet. "I'll be back soon, Mami."
She smiles at you, patting your hand. "Alright."
You follow Homura around the corner, a blaze of violet light meeting your eyes as she transforms and reaches for her shield. She pauses, raising the shield for you to see before cranking it aroun-
-d. Her outstretched arm rests on your shoulder, her free hand offering you a bit of string. You grab the string, leaning against the wall. "So what's up, Homura?"
"The... errand I mentioned," she says. "I will be hacking the local meteorological agency mainframe."
You blink. That's not what you expected. "Uh?"
"They won't discover Walpurgisnacht on their own," she says.
That makes sense. "So this'll let them evacuate Mitakihara earlier?" you ask.
She nods.
You exhale, smiling. "That makes sense," you say, before raising an eyebrow at her. "I didn't know you could hack."
Homura glances away. "I... commissioned instructions from Inoue Yuuki in Ishinomaki a... while ago," she says. "It's not really hacking."
"... ah," you say. "How early will they evacuate?"
"A few days before Walpurgisnacht arrives," Homura says.
"And Madoka will be safely out of the city?" you ask.
Homura exhales. "It varies," she admits, swallowing. "She..." the time traveller's lips flatten together. "She refuses to evacuate, or... she's with the last to go. Sometimes..." Homura makes a helpless little gesture with her left hand, the hand her Soul Gem ring would be on. "She comes back. To fight."
"Right," you say. "Right." Kyuubey takes the opportunity to get Madoka to make a contract. Probably using the imminent threat of Walpurgisnacht.
"We can leave someone to guard her and keep Kyuubey away," Homura says.
"Hrrm," you say. She has a point. There are more meguca than there usually are, this time around, and there will be more at Walpurgisnacht. Especially if someone's unwilling to stand up to the Queen of Witches herself - they'd probably be happy to run guard duty. "Yeah, I see your point. I... Gimme a bit to think about it? And uh, in the meantime, I had a few things to run by you?"
Homura nods.
"Well," you say. "I've been thinking about Walpurgisnacht, too. I want to discuss Walpurgisnacht with Mami, get her support in getting help from outside of town?"
A tiny frown creases Homura's forehead. "I assumed you already have been," she says.
"Eh," you say. "I wanted your permission first."
"Do it," Homura says. "I... I would welcome all the help."
"Right, then," you say. "And... Sayaka, too. I know you don't always get on well with her, but she's here, and it would be... good to focus her on the upcoming threat."
"Yes," Homura nods. She glances away at the wall, roughly where Sayaka would be were it not for the corner. "You know how to deal with her better."
"Alright," you say. "Cool."
[] Write-in
=====​
In Japan, teriyaki fish is far more common than pork or chicken or what have you.
Apologies for the lateness, guys. Exams, and, ah, Dark Souls 3 have stolen a fairly substantial amount of time.
Last edited: Apr 29, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 19
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- May 9, 2016

- #87,736

A moment passes in the absolute, dead silence of the timestop, and then two.
"Is ther-" Homura starts.
"Hey-" you say at the same time. Homura motions towards you, so you continue, smiling in amusement. "Let's just take a seat for a moment?" You wave towards the low wall at the foot of the great fence around the rooftop, moving over and perching on it. You shift to keep the string beside you, even the faint rustle of cloth from your coat terribly loud.
Homura nods, following you over and sitting beside you.
"So... how've you been, Homura? How was your day?" you ask, smiling at her.
Homura gives you a perplexed frown.
You huff. "Conversation, Homura," you say. "I want to talk to my friend."
She glances down at her hands, eyes downcast for a moment, before exhaling slowly and looking up at you, expression firm. "I... haven't done much today," she says. "I had to chase Kyuubey away from Madoka again."
"Well," you say with an encouraging smile. "That can't have been your whole morning, right?"
Her head twitches in a minute shake. "I was in class," she points out.
"Ah. That's a good point," you say. "I suppose you know everything by heart, now?"
Homura shrugs. "I have to keep up appearances," she says.
"Right," you say. It's hard to not wind up talking business with Homura. Might as well go for broke. "So... how are you?"
Violet eyes give you a flat look for a long moment before softening and looking away. "I'm alright," Homura says, voice quiet. "I..."
"Mmm?" you ask, giving her a curious look.
"You..." Homura sighs. "You've done more than I managed to."
"No," you say. "None of that. I've worked with you, Homura. And we'll work together. Because you're my friend, and... just as much, I want all of us to make it out of this together and happy."
She shrugs.
"Hey," you say, poking her on the shoulder. You wait until she looks over at you, eyebrows raised. "We'll take Walpurgisnacht down. All of us, together."
She nods again. "Alright." Her nostrils flare. "We have a chance."
You're honestly not sure if she's humouring you or not, but... you don't think she is. And in any case... "There's always a chance," you agree. "But even if it's early yet, I think we have a good chance. We're going to beat Walpurgisnacht - no try about it."
Homura exhales hard, nodding. "Alright. Is there anything else, Sabrina?"
"Beyond talking to my friend?" you ask, smiling at her. "Well... Yeah, actually. Is it OK if we bring Mami in? I wanted to discuss Walpurgisnacht, but not in front of Sayaka and Madoka."
Homura nods sharply. "Agreed," she says. "That would be for the best."
"So... I can go ahead and get Mami?" you ask.
"Go ahead," Homura says.
You beam at Homura, pleased at the approval, and hop lightly to your feet. It's progress. Slow and steady, but... she's starting to let herself be human again. You take care not to tangle up the unspooling reel of string, twirling in a kind of little dance.
Hah, dancing. Would you have a transformation dance? Probably some kind of janky robot dance, really. Just the right blend of westaboo-ism in there, really, and probably just right for Mami to sigh at you in exasperation. So just perfect, then.
Speaking of whom, you walk over to her and grab her by the shoulder, and bright, vibrant colour leaches into her, drawing her into the frozen world of Homura's time stop.
"Hi," you say, beaming at Mami.
She blinks in disorientation, looking around before focusing on you. "Sabrina? Is something wrong?" she asks, stiffening to attention.
"No, not at all," you say. "We -Homura and you and me- just need to have a private conversation without anyone listening in, that's all. Her timestop is... the best way to do that."
"Ah," Mami says, relaxing a little. "A-alright. Um..." She shifts a little to take your hand, squeezing tightly.
You smile reassuringly at her, squeezing back. "C'mon." You lead Mami back over to Homura, perching back on the raised ledge beside her. Mami settles down beside you, nestling against your side.
"So, ah, what are we discussing?" Mami asks.
"Walpurgisnacht," Homura says, tone cold and hard again.
"I see," Mami says, her expression setting firm, too."We have... Under a month to the night of Walpurgis."
"Twenty two days," Homura agrees.
Mami nods in agreement.
"Right, so... I wanted to get your opinions, Mami, Homura," you say. "I want to warn the other local girls. I... I don't know if they'll stick around to fight, or whether they'll want to flee, but... I feel like they should know."
"Of course," Mami says, nodding firmly. "We can't force them to fight, but they live here, too. They deserve to know."
Homura nods. "I have... information about Walpurgisnacht. Statistics. I know where it's likely to appear."
Mami looks surprised for a moment, mulling it over. "You're sure of it?"
"Yes," Homura says, meeting Mami's eyes with an unwavering violet gaze.
Mami smiles. "Then we can use that," she says. "I'm not sure how many magical girls we can bring to fight, but we can plan for this. I..." She purses her lips, clearly thinking about it.
"Two things," you say, raising two fingers to demonstrate. "First, well, do you think we should bring Sayaka in?"
Homura starts to shake her head before stopping with a frown.
"Homura?" Mami asks, peering around you at the time traveller.
"No," she says. "She should leave with Madoka."
"She lives here too," Mami points out. "If she wants to fight..."
Homura glances over at you, violet gaze holding yours. "I think she should leave," she says.
You hold up your hand, cutting off Mami's response. "I... this is probably gonna be a bit contentious, so we'll come back to it in a bit, alright?"
Mami nods, subsiding.
"Right, so," you say. "I had another point I wanted to make. Nadia Bennouna. Do you know who she is, Homura?"
"Somewhat," Homura says. "Is she due in?"
Mami looks surprised. "How do you know her?"
"I don't know her," Homura says, shrugging slightly. "I know of her."
"Ah, that makes sense," Mami says, giving Homura a thoughtful look.
"Right, so... see, Mami, you know her, right? If we asked her not to tell people about my powers, would she?" you ask.
"She would," Mami confirms. "But why would you want to?"
"Yeah, that's the thing," you say, holding both hands out, palm up. "On the one hand, if word spreads... meguca will come. I mean, it's inevitable, right? People'll come to Mitakihara to make use of my powers. And that's... good, because there'll be more meguca to fight Walpurgisnacht, but on the other hand, there will be more meguca."
"Ah," Mami says, cupping her chin. "That's a good point."
"Exactly," you say. "But I want... I want to help people. I don't want to keep it a secret."
Mami smiles, leaning against you. "I understand," she says, tentatively wrapping an arm around you in a hug. "I... I think we should tell her."
"I agree," Homura says, violet gaze still fixed on you.
You bump your shoulder against hers in reassurance as you turn over their responses. Entirely understandable on Homura's part. More puella magi means a more secure defeat of Walpurgisnacht. And really, Mami wouldn't dispute you. Not when you want to do this, to help people.
"Well..." you say. "I was considering... a middle ground? We leave it Miss Bennouna's discretion, ask her not to tell everyone, but tell those she thinks are reasonable? And maybe ask her to help distribute the Empty Seeds?"
"We need the magical girls for the fight," Homura says.
"And you want to help people," Mami says. "I... think that's a good idea, Sabrina. Ask her to spread the news to other magical girls she deems trustworthy?"
"Yeah," you agree. Spreading your name far and wide, as it were. Of course, you don't even have a full name at more. You spend a moment to consider possible names for yourself. Like Tomoe, or Akemi, or Kaname, or some incomprehensible jumble of letters you'd expect to find in a leather-and-black-iron-bound book, the kind that drips blood off its pages when read.
You shake your head, clearing away those thoughts. "What about Walpurgisnacht? I mean, that would stop some girls from coming, but... you know, people would come in with their eyes open."
"Or they make use of your powers and leave before Walpurgisnacht," Homura says, frowning. "Don't tell them."
Mami frowns, too, before glancing at you. From her furrowed brow, you can guess she doesn't agree, but she's waiting to follow your lead.
[] Write-in
-[X] About Sayaka...
--[X] You want to be honest with her, tell her you've been keeping secrets. She deserves to know about Oriko, and what Oriko did to her home and to Hitomi. But... you're worried she might do something rash. Would... you had an idea. Showing her Oriko before that. Having them meet and letting Sayaka know Oriko burnt down her house while you're there to stop her from doing something she might regret. Is that... is that fair to Sayaka? What's their opinion? If we do tell Sayaka, when would be a good time?
-[x] Ask then hug Homura first.
=====​
So my exams are over, and, uh, well, I've spent three days face down in Dark Souls 3.
Last edited: May 10, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 20
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- May 12, 2016

- #87,919

You sigh, rubbing your nose. "I'm... not comfortable keeping people in the dark like that, Homura. Even beyond moral reasons."
Homura's lips compress a little, but she doesn't say anything, raising her eyebrows at you instead.
"Well," you say. "First, they aren't going to take too kindly to being kept in the dark about it - if anything, it'll make them even more inclined to leave when Walpurgisnacht arrives. I mean, if they were going to leave in the first place, they'll just leave anyway, right?"
"Some will stay," Homura counters. "More if they have no choice."
Madokami on high, but that's cold. You can understand the reasons, but...
"I disagree," you say. "If they're going to leave, they'll leave. And... I think, just as importantly, if they're going to fight Walpurgisnacht, and they aren't prepared? More than a few are going to be liabilities. I mean... sure, there will be plenty of magical girls who are strong enough to fend for themselves, but would rather have the security. What about the weaker ones?"
Mami nods. "They'll need training," she says. "And if they're new to being magical girls..." She shakes her head. "I've always heard that the arrival of Walpurgisnacht itself is a... shock to the senses. If they're not prepared for it, they might not even be able to fight."
Homura glances away, nostrils flaring and mouth setting in a straight line. "My... research agrees," she admits, after a moment.
"So we should warn them, and train them," Mami says, nodding.
"Yeah," you agree, raising your finger. "And... many of the meguca will want my services for the long term. They won't want to leave and go back to having to fight Witches and other magical girls just to survive. And, well, they're definitely not going to get that if they abandon the city and leave Mitakihara to be destroyed."
An irreverent, and irrelevant thought crosses your mind - it kind of tickles you that you can use 'meguca' in a serious discussion and have it work. Admittedly, it's mostly because... well, it's just a bit of mangling of words in English, and their English might be passable, but it's not their first language.
"Fine," Homura says. She still doesn't look happy, her mouth set thin and hard.
You sigh. "Homura, really, though. I... I have a huge bargaining chip. My powers are... well, you know," you say, waving your hands. "I'm sure I can convince people to stay. I'm sure I can convince more than enough people to stay to fight. And besides-" You hug Mami with one arm, offering your free hand to Homura. "We have you, we have Mami, myself... that's already a lot."
You take a moment to consider expositing on a plan to steal a Gemini rocket engine or two from USA to take Walpurgisnacht and push it elsewhere. Like up into the atmosphere, or maybe somewhere out in the ocean. Whereupon you can hit it with ICBMs.
... file that as plan, uh, plan D, you guess.
"Fine," Homura repeats, frown firmly in place.
You rub at your forehead. "So... about Sayaka," you say. "I... look, Homura, we can't hide this indefinitely from her. The longer we keep it from her, the more upset she would be - and for good reason. I mean, we're basically saying we don't trust her, by doing that."
A pang of conscience worms its way into your mind. You're hiding things, too.
But for good reason, right?
And you're telling Mami tonight.
Right.
Homura's expression flattens out, going blank. You can make a pretty good guess at what she's thinking - that you're right, she doesn't trust Sayaka. Of course, she's tactful enough not to say it in front of Mami.
Hah, Homura, tactful. Those aren't words that normally go together.
"That said," you continue, meeting Homura's eyes. "I agree insofar as I'm not really comfortable with her risking her life against a Witch that could destroy an entire city, either."
"Sabrina?" Mami asks, golden eyes beneath worried brows peering up at you.
"No, just... I'm not going to stop her, and we shouldn't," you say. "Knowing her, she'll want to stay, anyway. But... I'm thinking we can put her on something safer? Evacuating or protecting civilians, or something like that? She'll be happy to get behind that, I think."
Mami purses her lips. "Sabrina, with... three weeks to go, we can teach her to be good at fighting, really," she says. "By the time Walpurgisnacht arrives, she's not going to be a newbie any more."
That's... a good point, actually.
"Do you think she'll be good enough to be on the frontlines with us, then?" you ask, blinking at Mami.
"I think so," Mami says. "Three weeks is a long time. It's... everybody learns at a different pace, but magical girls instinctively know how to fight. It's a matter of honing those instincts, in my experience."
Homura regards Mami for a long moment. "Fine," she says. "I hope you're right."
"I think I am," Mami says with a firm nod. "I... especially if we all work together to train her, take her out on Witch fights, I think she will make a fine magical girl. She's not too weak, either."
You give Mami a quick smile. It's nice to see her showing confidence in herself. "Of course I'll help," you say. "I mean, I'm not... the best at teaching, since I'm so new myself, but I can be on hand to help cleanse and so forth."
Mami shakes her head, smiling at you. "Don't be ridiculous, Sabrina," she says, giving you a warm, fond look. "You... haven't done so well in close range, but that can change - and you're terrifying at long range."
You waggle your hand, returning the smile. "Thanks, Mami," you say, before glancing at Homura. "Homura? You'll help too, right?"
"If I have time," Homura says, exhaling slowly and looking away.
[] Write-in
=====​
It's lovely, having more free time to myself.
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 21
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- May 16, 2016

- #88,136

You blink in faintly flummoxed surprise.
Was...
Was that a pun?
From Homura?
You burst into giggles.
Mami blinks at you in perplexity for a moment. You can practically see the lightbulb when it goes off, by the way she glances at Homura and promptly joins you in a wash of helpless giggles.
Homura, on the other hand, maintains that stony facade, until it finally clicks for her. Exasperation chases incomprehension across her face, finally settling on vaguely startled incredulity.
"H-hey." You manage to swallow your giggling fits for long enough to choke something coherent out. "Homura. T-thank for your... time. I-I- won't l-let you dow-"
You promptly dissolve into mirth again, nearly falling off your impromptu seat.
Homura sighs, bringing her palm to her face - and maybe you're imagining it, but there's perhaps a tiny quirk of her lips before she smothers it with her hand.
And maybe not. It's enough to give you cause for jubilation, anyway.
Your giggles die down eventually, Mami half collapsed on your shoulder and barely supported by your arm around her waist.
"I needed that," Mami opines. "It's nice, having something so... normal in... here." She waves her hand around at the fossilised light of the timestop. "Ah, no offense intended, Homura."
The time traveller shakes her head, a tiny twitch to the side. "None taken."
You tighten your hug around Mami and grin sunnily at Homura. "Hey... You're not really terrifying, are you?"
Homura blinks her violet eyes at you. "... Excuse me?"
"I mean it," you say. "You try to scare people, but you really aren't that kind of person."
Homura... almost rolls her eyes. You can see her start the motion before she schools her face back into impassivity.
You laugh, and pat her shoulder. Moemura's still in there somewhere.
"Anyway," you say, chasing off a fleeting mental image of your gang of friends as mushrooms. You take a moment to muse on what kind you would be.
... probably one of the hallucinogenic kinds.
"Sabrina?" Mami prompts, nudging your side.
"Sorry," you say, shaking your head to clear the thought away. "Just a silly thought."
"Ah, OK," Mami says. "Were you saying something before?"
"Yeah," you say. "So... something I was meaning to bring up before, about Sayaka - she's a power mimic, right?"
"Right," Mami agrees.
"So... I don't have any practical experience with this kind of thing, but... my understanding is that the kind of Wish that would give Sayaka that kind of ability would have... hm." You pause for a moment, considering how to phrase it. "Would have skill acquisition as a related power."
"Ah," Mami says, pursing her lips in thought. "I can't say she did. She didn't seem to pick up aiming her swords very well? She was using her swords, though, I didn't try to teach her to make muskets with her copied ribbons yet. Um."
"Right," you say, scratching at the side of your head with your free hand and tucking aside a stray strand of hair. "Hmmm."
The three of you lapse into a comfortable silence for a while, Mami tucking her head against your shoulder and nestling into your side.
Mami stirs a moment later. "Sabrina?"
"Mm?" you ask.
"Thank you," she says.
"You're welcome," you say. You're not sure what for, exactly, but you're pretty sure it's the right thing to say. "Anyway. Cleanses?"
Homura nods, raising her hand towards you.
"Mmm," Mami agrees, raising her left hand to present her ring to you, too.
You cleanse the Soul Gems with a crook of your finger, paying attention to your own, too. You roll your shoulders, feeling some of the little tensions and even aches melt away. Mami sighs in satisfaction, and even Homura relaxes slightly.
"Is there anything else?" Homura asks, raising her eyebrows at you.
"Well..." you say. "Yeah, actually. Sayaka... and Oriko. We still have Oriko under house arrest, and, well, she did burn down Sayaka's house. She deserves to know."
Mami nods. "She does. But..."
"Yeah, that's the problem, isn't it?" you say. "She's... well, at best she's going to yell at Oriko - and me. At worst she'll try and attack Oriko."
A flicker of motion in the corner of your eye is Homura shrugging.
"Yes, Homura, I know," you sigh. "But it's about trust, and... I really don't want Sayaka to attack them."
Homura presses her lips together, not commenting any further. You jokingly consider telling her that no, murder is not the solution, but it's really not that far from what's going through her mind, if you had to guess.
"Ah..." Mami says. "I think we should just tell her. Ask her to understand that we had to do this. She'll listen to reason, right?"
Heh. She's more optimistic than you are, about this at least.
Then again, you know Sayaka at her worst moments, in the simmering depths of despair. Mami... doesn't.
"Might not be that easy," you say. "She's... very easily... well, she sees the world in black and white, right? Remember how she was to Homura at first?"
"Ah," Mami says, her lips pulling into a grimace. "You're probably right, Sabrina. Hmmm... Do you know if Sayaka would accept anything as an apology? Or compensation? And if Mikuni would give it?"
"Heh," you say, an amused smirk flitting across your face. "I mean, Oriko would proooobably let Sayaka burn her house down, honestly. She hates the place."
Mami chuckles. "That probably won't work, then," she says. "She could buy Sayaka a new house?"
"Hmm... possible," you allow. You somehow doubt Homura's going to offer any suggestions, so you press on. "Well... I was thinking, first of all, that we could introduce Sayaka to Oriko and Kirika, without telling her who they are? Let her get to know them first so that she can form her judgement without immediately jumping to hate?"
Homura frowns, her lips tightening, but she doesn't say anything.
"Um..." Mami frowns, too. "It seems a bit manipulative, Sabrina. U-um. Sorry."
"I... first of all, don't apologise," you say, tightening your hug around her a little. "Thank you, Mami, for telling me if you don't think I'm doing the right thing. It... well." You fight the urge to claim that it's not manipulative. "It is a bit, I guess. I just want... well, if Sayaka has the opportunity to get to know them before she knows about the, uh, arson thing, she'll at least think about it first?"
Mami tugs lightly on one of her hair drills, frown still in place. "I'm not sure about it..."
You sigh. "Neither am I."
[] Write-in
=====​
Apologies for the delay. I... really don't have an excuse for it.
Last edited: May 16, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 22
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- May 20, 2016

- #88,572

The endless, muffling silence of the timestop almost swallows your thoughts, the conversation lapsing, though it doesn't smother the urge to tug on Mami's hair drill and say boing.
"I..." You look down, fidgeting with your fingers. Brief levity aside, you feel uncomfortably defensive, truth be told. It... well. Your friends are criticising you. Mami and Homura both - you don't imagine Homura's the happiest, right now, judging from her expression.
"Well. I was thinking of telling her..." You sigh. "Well, telling her the truth, as much as I could. I'd tell her that there were two magical girls we put under house arrest, and then flat out giving her the choice of knowing what they did or of she'd be willing to meet them first."
"She's not stupid," Homura says.
"Hmmm?" you ask, glancing over at her in surprise.
"Two magical girls, placed under house arrest by you," Homura says, her tone flat and clipped. "She can guess. What then?"
"If she asks... I'll tell her," you say. "As I said, I won't lie to her."
"And then?" Homura asks.
You sigh. "And then I suppose I do a lot of talking and possibly restraining, because I don't want Sayaka to go after Oriko and Kirika," you respond, rubbing at your face.
"I... do you think she would?" Mami asks.
"I think so," you say. "I... I don't know if she would attack them, but... she might? She'll definitely want to confront them. And Kirika would definitely defend Oriko, and... it would be a huge mess."
Which is putting it mildly. You honestly don't know how Sayaka would react to meeting the girls who burned her house down.
Feh.
"It won't be that bad, surely?" Mami asks, looking at you worriedly. "I'm sure Sayaka isn't that... violent, right?"
You recall an elsewhere and elsewhen, when Sayaka might have killed two men on a train - or at least beat them up. Badly. You're not really sure. She had good enough reason. She had been Grief spiraling, her Soul Gem clouded with enough Grief to drive her thoughts to dark, dark places. On the verge of Witching out.
She wouldn't be anything like that under normal circumstances.
And yet...
And yet. Grief or not, the kernel remains, doesn't it? That spark of unthinking violence, lent expression by her magical girl powers.
Do you trust her to see reason?
"I... I don't know," you admit. "But Oriko and Kirika burned her house down. Oriko had what she thought was a good reason, but... if we hadn't been there, her entire family might have died. That would make anyone mad."
Mami's shoulders slump. "That's true," she says, looking down.
You sigh. "I really don't know," you say, making a helpless gesture. "I... I guess I should trust Sayaka to stick to her principles."
"Mmm, Sabrina?" Mami asks, glancing at you with warm, worried eyes.
"A... strong sense of right and wrong," you say. Of opinions, formed quickly and held with unwavering, fervent belief, defended even at cost to herself. "And she's stubborn."
"Hmmm." Mami gives you a long, considering look. "I don't know her that well, but... I trust your judgment, Sabrina. If that's the case... Do you think you can convince Sayaka that Oriko was right, then, if she asks?"
Homura bristles, her eyebrows snapping together in a heavy frown.
"I..." you temporise.
Do you think Oriko's right?
You're not even sure of that, really. At the very least... if, and that's a big if, she's correct, and telling the truth, that burning down Sayaka's house saved her, then she was justified. Whether she was right is an entirely different matter.
Heh.
Not that saying that Oriko's right in front of Homura is a particularly wise thing to do.
Your gaze dips to stare at your hand, fisted in your lap. Mami's hand reaches across to curl around yours, squeezing lightly in support.
Homura speaks up, cold and implacable. "She's wrong."
"I'm not going to let Sayaka just fight Oriko and Kirika," you counter, lips twisting. "She'd... I mean, it's two on one, and I- I'd have to stop them."
She bites out an annoyed sound and looks away. "It's her mistake to make."
"She doesn't have to make that mistake!" you say, tugging at your hair in frustration. "She shouldn't. She-" You choke yourself off.
Homura shrugs. "Don't tell her," she says. "Hide it from her."
Mami looks appalled. "Homura, we can't hide this from our friend," she says. "Right, Sabrina?"
You sigh heavily. "I agree. We can't hide this - and we definitely can't hide it forever. Kyuubey will use it against us."
Homura shrugs again, black hair rippling over her shoulders.
"I... if we're going to tell Sayaka about Oriko directly, then... when do you think would be the best time to do it?" you ask. "I mean, the sooner the better, I suppose, but with the picnic tomorrow..."
You briefly consider asking Kyouko along for the picnic - you do definitely need to see about patching things up between Kyouko and Mami, but... probably not. Your mind is briefly inundated with consideration of mostly tiny Kyoukos, crawling everywhere and probably eating literally everyone out of house and home. Rob a few more yakuza bases, maybe.
"After the picnic?" Mami suggests. "Miss Bennouna will be here on Sunday, won't she?"
"Right, yeah," you agree. "Homura? What do you think?"
She shrugs, violet eyes cutting over to you. She's said all she wants to.
[] Write-in
=====​
The 'smothering her agency line' was cut because I couldn't fit it in anywhere.
Last edited: May 20, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 23
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- May 24, 2016

- #88,955

You blow out a sharp breath, leaning your head back against the ridiculously ornate fence surrounding the roof. "Do you think... more time to settle into the magical girl life, I guess, will help Sayaka cope?"
"With the magical girl life?" Mami asks. "Of course. But I don't think it would help with learning that her house was deliberately burned down by Miss Mikuni."
"Yeah, that's a fair point," you acknowledge. "I guess... Saturday after the picnic, then? We're meeting Miss Bennouna on Sunday, and... dealing with commitments outside of town, I guess. But I don't want to leave this unresolved in the, ah, long term."
Mami nods, the motion a little hesitant. "I suppose that would be best," she says.
"Hm?" you ask, glancing at her. "Is something wrong, Mami?"
"No... not really," Mami says, smiling at you. You've known her for long enough to see the strained edge to the expression, though.
"Mami..." you say, tightening your hug around her waist a little.
"It's nothing," she says, smile softening. "Really."
You give her a dubious look, but you decide not to press right now.
Mami smiles at you, covering your hand with hers. "Really, Sabrina," she says.
Homura exhales quietly. You glance over at her, finding amethyst eyes on you, steady and unreadable.
You've gotten better at guessing what goes on inside Homura's head, but here and now, you can't tell if she disapproves, or approves, or any of a dozen things she could be thinking about. Of course, she'd be unhappy with the Oriko situation. She probably thinks that all this effort with Sayaka is wasted. That much is obvious.
You don't know what she's thinking.
But now that she's drawn your attention...
"Speaking of the picnic, Homura," you say, smiling at your friend. "You're coming, right?"
Homura hesitates a moment.
"Come on, Homura," you say, smile widening a little. "You have all the time in the world, don't you?"
You're quite proud of yourself for not emphasising the pun at all.
The flat look she gives you tells you that she noticed it, though!
She sighs. "I will be there," she says.
"Excellent," you say, beaming at her. "We'll be glad to have you there. Though, um..." Your smile turns a little sheepish. "Can we use your shield to store stuff? Like, uh, well, ice cream?"
Homura's eyes flicker from you, to Mami, and back again. "You may," she says, voice soft and almost... melancholic?
You close your eyes, bouncing the back of your head off the fence. "Last thing about Sayaka... I mean, well... because of her power, she's going to have difficulty specialising, I imagine. I mean, we can get her up to speed on the basics, but... what do you think of advanced melee training for her, later on?"
"That's a good idea," Homura agrees, almost immediately.
You blink, faintly surprised at her ready agreement. Then again, she's not entirely heartless, and... even in the most pragmatic sense, anything that would let Sayaka hang on a little longer could only be a boon, right?
Mami nods in agreement, smiling at you. "That sounds good, Sabrina. We all tend to fight at ranged, after all, it would be good to have someone better at melee fighting."
"Right, exactly what I was thinking," you say, beaming at Mami. "Her power lets her copy tricks, but she needs to be as skilled as possible with her base abilities."
"We can cover a lot of that," Mami says, still smiling. "I'm not sure who we can ask to teach Sayaka melee fighting, though."
Well, you have a candidate in mind; a certain red haired girl over in Kasamino. Nooooot that you should bring her up in front of Mami right now.
"We'll figure out something," you deflect. "I just wanted to float the idea by you first."
Mami nods again. "Alright."
"Anyway... is there anything else?" you glance from Mami to Homura, and at their shaken heads, you turn back to Mami. "So... there's a few more things I want to talk to Homura about. I'll be with you soon, OK?"
"I-" Mami glances around at the frozen, muted grey hues of the world. "A-alright."
"It's nothing bad," you reassure Mami, pulling her into a hug and burying your face against her shoulder. "Alright? It's just something private."
"A-alright," Mami says. She tightens the hug a little, pulling away a moment later. "Alright, I'll... go back to the bench?"
"Mmm," you agree, standing and guiding her up. You smile as you walk her back over to the bench, opposite a frozen Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi. You can feel Homura following you. You pull Mami into a tight hug again. "I'll be with you in no time at all, yeah?"
"Yeah," Mami says, smiling weakly at you as she separates from the hug and settles back down on the bench. "Alright, I'm removing the ribbon now." She takes a deep breath and lets the ribbon fade, the bright colour leaching out of her as the timestop claims her.
You huff out a sigh, rubbing at the string around your wrist as you step back and turn to Homura. "So, I... Sayaka's my friend," you say, quiet and somber. "She's a puella magi because I messed up, and I... I owe it to her to make sure that she does as well as she can."
Homura blinks slowly. "You know her fate," she says.
"I know," you say. She always dies, or worse, in almost all timelines. "I stand by what I said. She's my friend. And I want to help her."
"I know," Homura says, suddenly looking very, very tired.
"I-" you start, floundering for a second. "Homura, look. I know what's at stake here - Walpurgisnacht, and Madoka. Keeping this secret from Sayaka would be a huge weak point the Incubator can hit to fracture our group at the worst possible time. And more than that... Sayaka's my friend. And she's Madoka's friend. You understand that, right?"
"I do," Homura says, simple and final. With the both of you standing, she has to look up to meet your eyes, but her gaze is steady and unflinching.
You guess she does, at that. It's not like she didn't try to save Sayaka, even in that last timeline. She tried to give Sayaka a Grief Seed, but... she gave up when Sayaka rebuffed her.
"Y-yeah," you say, looking away. "Yeah, I-" you wave at Sayaka's frozen form. "I'm not going to stop her from yelling at Oriko. I... what Oriko did was wrong. I'm not denying that. But I just want to make sure things don't escalate."
Homura's gaze doesn't waver - even without looking, you can feel her eyes boring into you. "They are not worth it," she says.
You sigh. "I just want everyone to live, Homura. Just this once," you say.
Silence falls, the absolute, dead silence of the timestop. You can hear your heartbeat, and the rush of blood in your ears.
Finally, she sighs. "I know," she says.
"I..." You look up at her, but she's not looking at you. Not any more.
Amethyst eyes refocus on you.
"Can I hug you?" you ask.
Homura sighs again, but raises her arms out towards you, just a little. You beam at her, and step into her, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's going to be alright," you whisper.
Her arms tighten convulsively around you for a moment before pulling back, her expression open and vulnerable for a moment before she slams it shut again.
"Is there anything else?" she asks.
"Well," you say, smiling at Homura. "I was wondering if you wanted to go hunt Sasa down right now?"
She frowns, considering that for a moment. "Now is fine," she agrees. "Do you have any ideas?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Here we go.
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 24
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- May 31, 2016

- #89,390

"Well," you say. "We could start with her school? Do you know what that is? She comes to Mitakihara from Kasamino, so we could just do a flyover of the schools there?"
Homura nods. "I know her school," she murmurs. "Matsuzawa Middle School."
"Right, excellent," you say, smiling at her. You walk towards the fence surrounding the roof, peering thoughtfully in the general direction of Kasamino. You can faintly see the river in the distance, beyond the frozen smokestacks of the industrial district.
Hmm...
"Actually, other than that... I know she spends time around Shirome," you say, frowning thoughtfully. "Do you know if there's any other places worth checking?"
"Yes," Homura murmurs, joining you at the side of the fence. She raises a hand to rest her flattened palm against the ornately wrought metalwork. "A library. The mall. The park." She exhales. "I thought you might have a better idea."
"Sorry," you offer, grimacing. "I'm not- my knowledge isn't perfect. I... I do have an idea, though? Not a place to search, but..."
Homura gestures at you to continue, a little motion with her hand.
"Well... I've been meaning to try making a tracking Grief artifact for a while. It might take me a while to make, though, and, well, it might not work perfectly," you say, pausing thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. "Or at all. Some... most of my other constructs were limited to a hundred meter range, but not... all of them. I managed to boost my sensing radius before."
She nods. "Try it."
You beam at her. "Thanks, Homura."
Homura shrugs, pursing her lips as she gestures around at the grey-hued world. "We have time."
A violet gaze dares you to laugh.
You chuckle. "I suppose we do, at that," you say. "Hmm. One last thing before I start on that... is there anyone else? To check on, I mean?"
Homura considers that for a moment. "Kuroki Matsuko," she says. "She is... typically a magical girl about now."
"Typically?" you ask.
"The Incubator tends to seek her out after Sayaka becomes a magical girl," Homura says. "She is... a strong, but emotionally fragile magical girl."
"Ah," you say. You can read between the lines there. She tends to Witch out rapidly, then. "Do you know where to find her?"
Homura nods. "What will you do if we find her?"
"Depends on whether she's a magical girl or not," you say, rubbing at your forehead with your knuckles. "I... I guess I'd do what I usually do. Talk to her, offer my help and... the usual."
Homura exhales, looking away. "Try making your Grief thing."
You grimace to yourself. Yeah, you probably remind her more than a bit of her earlier self, and Madoka to boot.
Ah, well.
"Right," you say, transforming in a burst of light and smiling at her. You drop to the floor, sitting cross-legged as you summon a small sphere of Grief to your hands. It clinks against that Grief ring, the one you never did dismiss. Of course, your finger's still happily uncorroded by Grief. "I'll be just a bit, alright?"
You draw in a breath and focus. Locating Sasa Yuuki... a compass. A compass to locate Sasa Yuuki.
You push with your mind, with an ability that rises to the forefront of your mind like a limb you don't have. You force your will on the Grief, trying to mould it into a shape, and-
-a blinding migraine sledgehammers you between the eyes, an icepick driven into the crevices of your mind.
Your breath hisses out of you in a pained gasp, and you drop the Grief, squeezing your eyes shut.
Homura's at your side in an instant, hovering almost anxiously as she touches a hand to your shoulder.
"I-" you draw in a shuddering breath. "I- I'm OK. That was just- yeah. You know. When I fail to make something. I get a massive headache?"
"Mmm," Homura says, brow furrowing as she inspects you.
You sigh. "That didn't work, which means..." Lots of things, really. For example, that you really can't seen to extend your sensing range beyond the existing two hundred odd range. Or at least, not with Grief. But the more relevant thing is that it means... "Manual searching," you sigh.
Homura shrugs.
"Right, right," you say, waving your hand. Grief follows the motion, spheres cascading around you, spreading thin like butter on bread. Except without the bread. You mould it into a simple, flat disc, and beam at Homura, bowing extravagantly. "Shall we?"
She huffs out a quiet sigh, easing the string tying you to the timestop around herself as she steps onto the disc. You follow her on, giving her a quick, reassuring smile before lifting it into the air without further ceremony.
You clear the fence with ease, zipping up into the sky as Mitakihara Middle School dwindles away behind you.
"So, which way, Homura?" you ask.
She stands, utterly fearless despite the vertiginous drop barely centimeters away.
You purse your lips, eyeing her as she surveys the city below. Of course, she knows what she's doing, and you can keep the disc absolutely level, but uh...
A bit more Grief joins the disc from the cloud that perpetually follows you, adding a small, raised wall to the side of your flying carpet. Just in case.
"That way," Homura says, pointing off into the distance. "We'll look at Shirome first." She takes a moment to consider. "It's unlikely she'll be there during school hours. We can check the mall next, and the nearby library. The park last."
"Right," you say starting the carpet -really, it's more of a Minimal Mobile Oppression Fortress now- off in the direction indicated.
Homura settles back down, folding her legs elegantly.
"Say, Homura?" you ask, after a moment of silence.
You feel, more than you actually see, her questioning glance over in your direction.
"Well..." you say, brushing aside some hair from your face, frowning as a strand gets caught in that Grief ring you're still wearing. "I suppose you've already guessed, but I was thinking about having Kyouko train Sayaka in melee combat."
"I have," Homura acknowledges.
"So... any concerns or suggestions about that?" you ask.
Homura takes a moment to consider that. "They don't always get along," she says.
"Yeah, I know," you say. "Really, though... it's about first impressions. Sayaka's very... well, if you manage to make a good impression on her, it's hard to disrupt her of that notion. And vice versa."
"Yes," Homura says.
"And... well, I figure we can tell Kyouko to put her best foot forward." You pause for a moment before adding, "Probably not in those exact words. But you get the point."
Homura sighs. "I'll leave it to you," she says. "I do not get along well with her."
"She looks up to you this time, you know?" you point out.
She shrugs.
The conversation promptly dies again.
... sweet Madokami, but talking to Homura's like trying to get blood from a stone.
Hmm. If you swear by Madokami, would that count as heresy? You are insulting her consort sort-of-but-not-really.
Eh.
Maybe.
"So... about that girl you mentioned, Kuroki Matsuko?" you say. "What can you tell me about her?"
"Her powers are better for hiding than anything else," Homura says. "She's very withdrawn. Avoids people."
"Hmm," you say, summoning the Grief blob carrying your notebook. "Well- actually, if she becomes a Witch, could you point out which one for me?"
Homura nods, expression flat. She grabs the notebook and pages through it rapidly. "This one," she says, pointing it out to you.
A doll-like Witch, you read in Homura's neat handwriting. A giant doll with huge, frizzy blonde hair and a pink vest. Tries to hide, while Familiars in cartoon planes dive bomb attackers.
Interesting.
[] Write-in
-[x] Regarding Walpurgisnacht: At some point, you wanted to check exactly how timestop interacts with your ability tomanipulate grief - in particular, if it's possible to damage a witch with your ability directlywithout bringing it into timestop. When's a good time to test that? ("Right now" is an acceptable answer.)
-[x] Does Homura have any special requests or suggestions for the picnic - in terms of location or food brought or anything else?
=====​
Nothing much to say today. I'm sleepy.
Last edited: Jun 1, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 25
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jun 6, 2016

- #89,693

You tap your chin, eyeing the notebook. The Witch sounds familiar to you.
Not exactly relevant at the moment, though. Unless perhaps it is.
"So... Homura," you say, tucking the notebook away again into its little sphere of Grief. "If we find this Kuriki, do you think we can keep her alive?"
"Kuroki," Homura corrects. "Kuroki Matsuko. I..." she glances away. "I think you can. But I don't think she's worth the effort. Even less than Miki Sayaka."
"Ah," you say, pressing your lips together. There's more than a bit of that going around, huh. Not so much killing her as unwilling to save her, but still.
You exhale. "Well, thank you for the information, and your opinion," you say, smiling at Homura. "It's always appreciated."
The time traveller nods, still staring out over the frozen city as conversation lapses again.
You guide the Minimal Oppression Fortress along in the direction Homura had indicated, letting your mind drift. You find yourself musing about the compass -you did manage to extend your sensing range last time, didn't you?- and starting to cover old ground, returning to thinking about Mami.
Speaking of whom, you do need to check with Homura about that.
About telling Mami about yourself, you mean.
Just as you're about to break the silence, Homura beats you to the punch. "You're... your help is appreciated, too," she says, voice soft and quiet. "Always appreciated."
You grin at her. "I'm here to help, Homura," you say. "And I'm glad to."
She shakes her head, looking down.
"I am, Homura," you insist.
"I know," she murmurs, glancing up at you, eyes sharp.
"Good," you say, relaxing back onto the floor of your Minimal Oppression Fortress. It's actually quite comfortable, since you can give the material a bit of yield so that it supports you like memory foam. Which reminds you of something else.
"Say, Homura?" you ask, gently banking the Minimal Oppression Fortress -you're just going to shorten that to MOF- to the left.
"Yes?"
"There's something I want to try," you say. She tilts her head slightly, which you take as an indication of interest, so you continue. "So... you know you have to keep in contact with me to keep me in timestop, right? I was wondering if Grief would work. I mean, remember when I cleansed Megane? I didn't touch her, but she was pulled in."
Homura blinks slowly, her mouth twisting a little, before she settles back on a neutral expression. "I see," she says.
"Yeah," you say. "With your permission, I was thinking we could try it when we land? Oh, and by the same token, I wanted to see if I can Grief rend a Witch from timestop. I... figured this was a safer first test."
"Grief rend?" Homura asks, seeming to perk up a little in interest.
"Uh, you know," you say, tucking aside a stray lock of hair. "Dissoluzione bianca? I don't really need to shout the name to do it, I just..." You break a bit of Grief off the side of your MOF, and hold it out to let Homura see before dissolving it into raw Grief.
Homura makes an interested grunt. "Do you think you can do that to Walpurgisnacht?"
"I'm not sure," you admit. "Like... there's two things I want to know - can I rend something from timestop without pulling it in? I don't know for sure, but I want to find out. And the other thing I wanted to ask you is... what do you think? Setting aside whether I can do it from timestop, do you think Walpurgisnacht is overwhelmingly powerful to the degree where I might get... I dunno, feedback from it?"
Homura purses her lips, considering. "I don't know. Walpurgisnacht is... nothing like other Witches," she admits, frowning.
You rub at your chin. "Yeah, I guess so," you say. "Anyway. Can I pass you a Grief ring first? We can try disconnecting me later when we're on the ground?"
She shrugs microscopically. You take that as your cue to make a small Grief ring, passing it over to Homura. She considers it for a moment, before tucking it away somewhere in her costume.
You smile at her. "Anyway. That's Shirome over there, right?"
Homura glances where you're pointing. "It is."
The familiar architecture of the Shirome Academy looms, built imposing and massive. The same steel and glittering glass of Mitakihara Middle school, which, well, you had this thought the last time you were here, but you're increasingly sure it was deliberate one-upmanship.
You tilt your MOF into a gentle dive, the still air whipping past you to muss your hair into what's going to be a tangled mess later. You close your eyes, pushing your senses as wide as you can, searching for any signs of puella magi. You circle the school building in a looping spiral, dipping low enough to buzz the girls, frozen in the middle of their lunch period.
Two of those ephemeral shades of Grief you associate with potentials. But... Sasa's not a Shirome student, is she? Which makes it unlikely that those are her.
"Two potential magical girls," you murmur to Homura. "I think. But no Sasa."
She nods, unsurprised. "The park nearby," she says, pointing.
Which, considering her personality, makes sense. She probably lurks nearby to Shirome, the ultimate in snobby, holier-than-thou schoolgirls, to stoke her hatred more.
"Doesn't she have school?" you ask idly, directing your MOF in that direction.
"I don't know," Homura says, running her fingers through her hair and flicking it out to the side. It flows straight out in a glistening, raven black banner, just glossy enough to catch the muted light of the timestop, an-
You tear your eyes away. Sweet Madokami on high, Homura's hair is a memetic hazard.
"... right," you manage, shaking your head and casting for a different topic. Which... Aha. "So, um - the obrez you gave me, right?"
"Yes?" Homura asks.
"Can you tell me more about the magical girl you got it from? If it's not too much trouble?" you ask. You still have that oversized pistol -well, a Mosin-Nagant rifle cut down to size- tucked away in the sling bag at your side. "I'm just curious."
Homura blinks, once, then twice. "It's from Nadia Bennouna," she informs you.
"Huh," you say. "How'd she get it?"
She shrugs. "From her travels through Russia, I assume," she says.
"Oh," you say. That makes sense. "No idea who the original owner was? We're here, by the way."
Homura shrugs again, standing to peer over at the side as you slant the MOF down towards the park, skimming the trees. "Mami might know more," she says. "She talks more to Bennouna."
... Which reminds you, Homura interrupted your train of thought earlier. You were going to ask her about Mami. You glance over at your friend. "And um, say. I... Homura, a while ago, I asked you about telling others about myself, right?"
She nods, a question in her eyes.
"I... well. You thought I shouldn't, back then, and I respect that," you say, meeting her gaze. "But I can't keep everything secret. I'm going to tell Mami about my weird... knowledge, that I knew about her -about everyone- before I even met you."
Homura doesn't say anything, her frown deepening a little.
"I know," you sigh, squirming under her glare. "I know. But I don't feel right keeping her in the dark, Homura. It's not fair to her, and this has kind of been eating at me for a while. She deserves to know. And- and I won't tell her any secrets that aren't mine to tell. I promise."
Homura's jaw works silently for a moment. "I can't stop you," she says, in a tone that says she disagrees with you. The furrow in her brow speaks volumes about her worry.
"I won't tell her anything that isn't mine to tell," you repeat. "And I- I think it'll go much better than the thing about Soul Gems and Kyuubey."
"Fine," Homura says. "I... wish you the best."
-[X] And about recruiting... you want to recruit meguca who'll have a decent chance at living through the fight. Any experienced meguca she can name, we can look into. We'll take care of the rest.
[X] Other than that... would she help you with something? You've noticed Grief tends to try andcoalesce when it exits your range; the more Grief, the further it gets before dissipating. You want to try and find out what'll happen when you release a large enough amount of Grief; you'd really appreciate if she could spot for you, and maybe save your hide in case something explodes, or something?
=====​
Sorry I've been dragging my feet about the updates. I've just been quite tired lately, plus meatspace stuff.
Last edited: Jun 7, 2016
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