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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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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 3, 2015

- #56,023

You bite back a flash of rage, an impulse to rip into Megane for that barb. Mami and Homura are hardly your 'cronies' - they're your friends. Your lip curls a little as you eye Megane, who seems intent of recklessly throwing her life away.
She almost reminds you of Akiko with her obstinate refusal to see sense - except that at least Akiko had the excuse, if you could call it that, of a Wish twisting her mind. Megane doesn't even have that sop of an excuse, or at least not that you know about.
She's just being a bitchy teenager who doesn't know the stakes.
You exhale slowly, discreetly catching Homura's eyes and shaking your head, no. She frowns sharply at you, easing her finger off the pistol's trigger - but she keeps a hold of it. As good as you'll get, you suppose. You step forward and touch Mami gently on her elbow, smiling at her when she glances back at you.
Another step forward, and you face Megane again. She's still struggling in the cocoon of ribbons, bound securely to the floor. She glares at you imperiously when she sees you looking. "Release me!" she demands again.
You take a deep breath, schooling your face to calme neutrality, and you meet Megane's eyes squarely. She, on the other hand, doesn't meet yours, pointedly moving her gaze to a point a handspan above your head.
"Miss Ono," you say, trying not to let your annoyance bleed into your tone. "I'm sorry I had to break into your home." You pause, eyeing the girl and waiting to see if she responds.
She doesn't say anything, eyes still fixed at that same point above your head.
You sigh. "I understand that you feel slighted that I cancelled our appointment without warning, earlier," you say.
That gets a response. "I'm sure you are," Megane says, eyes refocusing on you. "That's why you simply dropped me, right?"
"Yes, I am," you respond bluntly. "I am sorry. I had to handle matters that were literally life and death, twice in a row."
"Life and death," Megane repeats, imitating your voice. "Such a busy life you lead."
"Yes," you say, folding your arms. "Life and death. Just like what I need to tell you now."
Mami steps up beside you. "It's true, Miss Ono," she says. "I was... not doing well earlier, and one of our friends was trapped by a Witch."
Megane sniffs doubtfully, tossing her perfectly coiffed hair so that the black ringlets tumble almost artfully against the brilliant gold of the binding cocoon.
You sigh again, pinching your nose and closing your eyes for a moment. You open your eyes again after a moment, taking in her modest bedroom, with its equally modest furnishings, all trapped in the fossilized grey of Homura's timestop.
You continue when it becomes obvious that Megane's not going to say anything more. "I apologise that I needed to bother you about the meeting today," you say, pausing to see if that elicits any response. You continue after a moment of silence. "I needed to talk to you today because you don't know what you need to know to survive as a magical girl."
"You've already told me," Megane says, starting to stuggle at her bonds again. "Now leave me alone and stop telling me what to do."
You shake your head slowly. "Maybe I did. And I apologise for intruding against your will because if I don't, you would die. You Soul Gem would fill, break, and you would be gone."
"You've already told me," the girl repeats. "Now go away."
"I'm not going to leave until I'm satisfied you're taking me seriously, Miss Ono," you say. You're quite proud of yourself. You haven't shouted at her once, so far.
"Like Sendai, I'm sure," she cuts you off. "I'm sure you didn't leave until everybody toed the line."
... well then.
[] Write-in
=====​
... well then.
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 5, 2015

- #56,305

You exhale slowly - you can't exactly say you're surprised. The little white rat has been entirely too quiet, recently, and... she got rid of that Grief Seed, didn't she? She must have talked to Kyuubey. Might this be the first signs of Kyuubey turning hostile towards you? Or just it poking at you?
You and I remember Sendai very differently. For example, I don't remember you being there at all.
You... kind of want to say it. Or something witty and sarcastic and biting, just one moment to maybe turn the tables on Megane.
What you say instead is a neutral, "Sendai... was a mess, yes. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. It wasn't what I wanted to happen or why I went there."
Ugh. As well all yourself a watch wearing dildo. Or maybe not. That appellation doesn't suit you at all. You take a long, long moment of thought to formulate what you want to say.
"I'm sure you would have preferred that everyone immediately fell in line with your orders," Megane says, refocusing on you.
... well, she's not wrong...
"I went to stop a war that'd have killed a dozen magical girls and even more civilians," you say instead, keeping your voice steady.
Mami touches you lightly on the elbow. Her face crinkles into a gentle, reassuring smile, golden eyes warm and fond. Silent support. You return it, before refocusing on Megane.
The girl's frowning at the two of you.
You sigh. "Alright. First of all. Cleansing," you say, waving a finger in a small circle. Grief trickles into the air from all your Soul Gems, swirling together into a malevolent mass that you crush down into marbles and send outside to join the main bulk of Grief. Mami gives you a quick smile, while Homura nods an acknowledgement to you.
"Second of all..." you frown at Megane. "Well, I can guess at what you know, and who told you. I'm going to tell you my side of the story."
"I don't need to hear your justifications," she says. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Mami frowning.
"Justifications... well, I think saving people is a pretty good one," you say, faux thoughtfully. "The first thing I knew about it were earthquakes. I'm sure you saw those on the news. When I went to investigate, I found... a fight. A big on, in Ishinomaki."
"Of course you went to investigate," Megane says scornfully.
"How many Magical Girls do you think would have died if I hadn't gotten involved?" you challenge, arms still folded. "I went to Ishinomaki to rescue one Hamasaki Akiko and half her group. Then we found out that the other half of her group, back in Sendai, was being attacked, and I followed up on that."
You pause, watching Megane. She doesn't really seem to be listening to you, eyes focused above your head once more.
... you'll give it another shot.
"Akiko, it turns out, had been beating the University girls -by which I mean the group of girls based at Sendai University- down and starving them to death. Literally to death, Miss Ono, while the Sendai group got fat on their tax," you say, emphasizing the words with disdain.
Megane frowns slightly at that, her eyes flicking down to you and away again.
"So yes, I intervened," you say, raising your eyebrows at the girl. "And yes, we did a lot of damage to stop her and her allies - considering that she pulled in magical girls from across the prefecture. And yes, she went catatonic after she lost - I didn't do that deliberately."
You grimace at the memory before continuing. "The rest of the Sendai girls gave up and agreed to leave the others alone, if you want to call that toeing the line. I can introduce you to the girls directly involved, if you want to talk to them directly."
You could get them here in a few moments, even, if you enlisted a certain foul mouthed teleporter's help.
... Well, actually, no, since you don't have telepathy in timestop. But still.
You wait for a response from the girl, watching her with your arms folded.
"I'm sure you had your reasons," the girl says, glaring at you. "What will it take for you to release me, and let me see the least amount of you?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Unfriendly, much?
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 7, 2015

- #56,459

Well.
That's a concession.
You think.
A grudging concession, to be sure, one won by... Well, bothering her until she wants to not be bothered by you any more.
It's a win, sort of.
"I can ask Mami to release you right now if you promise to stop being violent and pay full attention to what I have to say," you say, raising an eyebrow and giving her a neutral look.
"Go ahead," Megane says.
You narrow your eyes in suspicion. "Will you pay attention to what I have to say?"
She glares at that point somewhere above your head. Do you have a sign there or something? Did Kirika somehow stick a sign there without you noticing? Or an angel halo or something? You wouldn't exactly put it past her...
Probably just Megane being ornery. Heh. Onory.
"Are you going to pay attention, Miss Ono?" you ask again.
"Fine," she bites out, glaring at you.
You purse your lips, regarding Megane, before exchanging a look with Mami. She smiles slightly, tilting her head slightly towards you. You smile back, tilting your head at Megane. Mami nods, and the ribbon coccoon dissolves.
The girl rolls her shoulders primly, smoothing her dress down and fussing with her hair for a moment, before returning her glare to you. "What do you want to say?" she asks.
"You're burning magic way too fast," you say. "Let me put it in perspective. The average magical girl will go about a week before they need a Grief Seed." You hold up one finger to demonstrate, before levelling it at her. "You're going through something like one Grief Seed a day? And that's not even counting Witches. That's... irregular, to say the least, and not at all sustainable."
"And what, Miss Sabrina, is so atypical about me?" Megane bites out, folding her arms.
"Your magic," you say simply. You can sense it, now that you're looking - the slow, incandescent fire of magic, winding up through her mind and body in confirmation of what Homura had told you. "You're running it constantly, even now. And that's... at least part of the problem. I believe I've already told you, but you don't seem to be getting the point - if your Soul Gem goes black, you're dead. I can't save you at that point."
You don't think you can, anyway. Not yet, maybe?
"And what am I supposed to do about that?" Megane challenges.
"I'm getting there," you say, rolling your eyes. "But to the point - I wanted to ask you about it. Can you shut it off?"
Megane' recoils at the suggestion. Just a touch, her head pulling back by a hair. "No," she says, rather too quickly.
Mami catches your eye. She raises her eyebrows fractionally at you, and you shrug. She shakes her head, keeping the motion subtle, and you nod.
'What do you think?'
'No idea.'
'She's lying.'
'Mmm.'
You turn back to Megane, who's frowning at the two of you.
You frown right back. "Hmm," you say noncommittally. "Why are you so dismissive of Witches, Miss Ono?"
She blinks, a faint touch of surprise on her face. "Witches," she says disdainfully. "They're big, dumb beasts with magic powers. Fighting is... barbaric." She rolls her wrist dismissively.
"Hrm," you say. Disdain. Disdain for fighting. You briefly entertain the thought of letting her die or Witch out, but... you're trying to keep her alive. And you'd have to replace her, for Mami's sake. Like replacing a goldfish. "Don't underestimate them. How many have you fought, anyway?"
"One," she says, surprise fading back into politely veiled hostility.
"Well. Witches aren't all easy. And maybe it's 'barbaric', as you say, but underestimating them can and will cost you your life," you say. "And that goes for all of us in this room."
Even yourself, really. You're not sure about Walpurgisnacht, yourself... it should be a pushover, but 'should's are slippery. And Charlotte for Mami, though that's behind you now.
You can feel Homura's gaze boring into the back of your head at that not terribly veiled hint.
"I've seen girls on the wrong end of a Witch fight, Miss Ono," you continue. "Some injuries were extensive enough that they weren't able to rejoin society, and Mitakihara has no healing specialists." There's Yuma over in Kasamino, and you don't exactly want Sayaka to contract, so... you shake your head, wrenching your mind back on track.
Megane opens her mouth, about to say something, but you cut her off. "When we found you, you were about to fight a very dangerous Witch with half your Soul Gem already corrupted, no Grief Seeds to fall back on, and yourself in no emotional state to be fighting Witches in the first place."
Her expression closes off as you speak, smoothing out into smooth, disdainful superiority. "I understand," she says, frost creeping in to replace the heat in her voice. "Of course, I didn't know I had a 'guardian angel' waiting to swoop in and rescue me from the poverty of not having Grief Seeds."
... she has a point, you suppose.
You sigh. "Which is why, as I said, it's dangerous to be a lone magical girl. Among other things? High corruption affects your mental state. You become more prone to negative thoughts and feelings; fear, sadness, anger, anxiety, depression. Fighting Witches like that is a recipe for disaster."
"Should I not fight Witches, then?" she challenges, all but sneering at you.
[] Write-in
=====​
Eeeesh.
Last edited: Aug 7, 2015
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 10, 2015

- #56,786

You exhale slowly, closing your eyes and unfolding one hand to press against your eyelids. It's a start. She's listening, at least, even if she's being obnoxiously teenager-ish, and you'll count that as progress. Slow progress.
A breath.
"That..." You open your eyes and gaze steadily at Megane. "That depends. Do you want to fight Witches?" You raise a finger to cut off the protest you can see forming on her lips. "Because either way, you're going to need to get Grief Seeds or cleanses-" you gesture at yourself "-to stay alive. That's... A fact of life, for us."
Megane's expression shifts from icy disdain to a displeased frown. "I would prefer hunt by myself," she says with a grimace.
"Perhaps so," you say, reaching up to tuck your hair behind your ear. "But it's not that simple."
"Of course it isn't," she retorts.
"Dying is a very real possibility, Miss Ono," you reply. It's familiar ground, after all. "And really, I'm quite interested in you not dying."
"Why?" she snaps, delivering a fresh glare towards you. You'd rate it... maybe zero point four Homuras. Not a bad glare at all, somewhat edging out Oriko. Sakura has them beat for sheer quantity of glare, though you're not entirely sure if quantity counts, per se.
Tsk.
"Call it my flaw," you say with a whimsical smile. You've admitted it to yourself often enough. Emiya syndrome. "I save people." Oh, you'll admit, to yourself if nobody else, that some part of you is tempted to leave her to go out in her blaze of arrogance, but... Here you are.
Megane visibly restrains herself from rolling her eyes, but doesn't comment further.
Sometimes, that metaphorical shoulder-Homu who likes to suggest that you just let her be is really loud. Hell, the real Homura told you as much, once.
A light touch at your elbow is Mami, giving you a warm, fond look.
... and probably a chibi-Mami on top of your head, always hugging you. Hwee ahr noht a ghy-ant spi-dah and all. And while you're at it, an entire panoply of tiny meguca...
You glance at Homura, who's drifted over to the wall, her back against it. She meets your gaze squarely, mouth twisted to the side in what might be a grimace or a smile or something in between before her expression smooths out again. She jerks her head a fraction of a centimetre at Megane.
You flash her a quick smile and infinitesimal nod, and turn back to the other black haired girl. "If you want to completely get rid of me and do things your own way, then the best way is for you to let me teach you. The faster you learn, the faster I'll be out of your hair."
The frown remains. "And what do you feel you need to teach me?" she asks contemptuously.
You have a ready answer for that. "How to fight, maybe how to use less magic. You'll need to hunt Witches after that, barbaric or not." You smirk. Barbaric. Heh. A touch of it, perhaps. Fighting isn't something a 'proper' lady does and all that rot. The way you fight... Gross overpowering of your opponents. That's barbaric too, you suppose. "But afterwards, you won't need to see as much of me as... well, other options."
Megane looks even more displeased, like she's sucking on a lemon that turned out to somehow have a worm in it, for all that she somehow contrives to look haughty at the same time.
You sigh. "The other option is that I loan you Grief Seeds. But then, I'll have to drop by every time to refresh them. If that's what you want, that's alright, too. The Sendai girls are under the same agreement."
Megane frowns, watching you.
... It's like talking to a hypothetical offspring of Homura and Sayaka and Akiko. Barely more expressions than the default oujo-glare, all the lemming-like enthusiasm and more, and the same obstinate refusal to just listen to sense.
Deep breaths. You're making progress, and she's kind of sort of not really warming up to you. She'd warm up faster if you lit her on fire, or stuck her in a microwave. What was that saying again? Build a man a fire, and he's warm for a day, set a man on fire and he's warm for a lifetime?
Deep breaths. As empathic as shoulder-Homu's glare is, this isn't helpful. You had something more to say, didn't you?
"If you choose to fight Witches, Miss Ono, there's one last thing." You raise a demonstrative finger. "You don't, and shouldn't, fight alone. Fine, you don't like me. There are other local girls whom I could put you in touch with. Gaikotsu Masami and Wakahisa Hiroko, they live together out west."
"Do you expect me to move over there?" Megane asks with an imperiously raised eyebrow.
Deep.
Breaths.
"No," you say. Think about tiny chibi-Mumi hugging you. She wouldn't like you to scream at Megane. Neither would real Mami, come to that. "If you choose to fight, then I expect to put you in touch with them, and you to work with them to hunt Witches." You pause for effect. "Miss Ono, you have options, but the one thing you can't be is a lone magical girl who doesn't fight Witches."
You match her glare for glare, sky blue gaze against a shade not terribly different from your own. "Because that, Miss Ono, will kill you under a week. Less, if you can't turn your power off."
She looks... thoughtful. Which you're not sure is a good thing.
"You mentioned other magical girls," she says, eventually. "You can put me in contact with them, and they can teach me to fight."
[] Write-in
=====​
Any port in a storm, eh?
Last edited: Aug 10, 2015
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 13, 2015

- #56,977

"You... yes, I can put you in touch with them," you allow, before raising a warning finger. "I can't guarantee that they'll agree to train you."
Megane nods, her jaw set. She hasn't relaxed out of her tightly wound anger, arms still folded across her chest and her posture stiff.
A thought strikes you. "And... if it's a matter of training you, I'd add Kyouko Sakura to your list of options," you say, cocking your head. "She's an... expert fighter who oversees Kasamino, and I can guarantee she'll whip you into shape." You can't help but enjoy the mental image a bit. "Just a matter of convincing her, and if you can take it."
... though with Yuma around, Kyouko might actually have gone soft. And then again, Megane's not Yuma.
An arm slips around yours. Mami.
You give her a curious look, but she just shakes her head and cuddles into your side. Her presence is a gentle warmth, a stark contrast against the muted cold of the timestop.
... Oh. Right, Kyouko.
You hug Mami back with one arm, trying to put a wordless apology into the motion, while refocusing on Megane. The girl looks annoyed, her jaw clenched tighter than it was before.
You sigh. "Anyway. Miss Ono, you have options. But the easiest one is, well, to just let me, us, train you. We're able and willing. But as has been pointed out-" repeatedly, by a certain magical girl that you happen to be talking to right at this moment, "-things do tend to get busy sometimes. Everyone else I know... is probably a bit too far out of the way. Mami, Homura?"
Mami shakes her head, her hair brushing against your arm, feather light touches you can feel through the sleeve of your coat. Homura glances at you for a moment before shaking her head, too.
"Put me in touch with Miss Gaikotsu," Megane says, apparently arriving at a decision.
"Alright. We'll see about doing that tomorrow," you say, and hesitate a moment before continuing. "Look, Miss Ono, I can't promise an exact time. I pretty much spend my days running from crisis to crisis. But I'll try to get to you when I can."
Megane sniffs disdainfully. "I don't believe I have a choice, do I?" she says.
You shrug. "Moving on, there was something else..." you say, frowning in thought. "Right, Grief Seeds. I would very much appreciate if you didn't give your used grief seeds to Kyubey unless you absolutely have to. They're a precious resource, as you should well know."
"Kyuubey said that that one was going to hatch," Megane counters.
"I'm well aware, but hold that thought," you say, having already anticipated that. "That takes something like a day." You glance at Mami for confirmation, and she nods again. "If it's important, though, I'll prioritise getting to you to refresh the Grief Seeds. And if you get more than one, then you can use them in rotation to extend the time limit."
Megane nods curtly.
"I'm working on alternatives," you add. "They're not quite ready yet, but I'm hoping to bring them out some time in the not too distant future." You shrug. "If they work out, then they'll make life a lot easier, and you won't have to fight Witches on a regular basis."
The girl blinks slowly, actually looking interested for a moment before the shutters slam shut again and the frown reasserts itself, apparently out of sheer contrariness.
You sigh, hugging Mami close with one arm around your waist in silent apology. "One last thing, Miss Ono," you murmur, again meeting Megane glare for glare. "Regarding the bunnycat. Kyuubey isn't trustworthy. He has a bad habit of lying... lying by omission and manipulating magical girls into fighting each other. Also there's the whole dying part he neglected to mention. He does that."
Mami's hug around you tightens for a moment, and you squeeze back slightly.
Megane's jaw tightens. "Of course you would say that."
"I'm not saying to take me at my word," you say. "But look. Just as an example, I have a... different account of Sendai than Kyuubey gave. And his version..." You shrug. "In the end, just be careful. That's all I'm asking. Don't take his words at face value - think about things a bit."
She snorts. "Not including what you tell me, of course."
"No," you disagree. "Do think about what I tell you."
Her expression schools itself back into smooth neutrality. "Do you have anything more to say?"
"Yeah, one last thing," you say, straightening. "You do need to find ways to stop using your power. No team will tolerate you spending that much magic in a day. If you need to compromise somewhere, then compromise. Whatever it is, your life is more important."
Megane's expression slams shut. "So noted," she says evenly.
You sigh. "Look, Miss Ono, I know this was a rocky start, and I know you disagree with me on a lot of things. But I am worried about you. I do want you to succeed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Megane replies.
With a twist of will, you dissolve the ring of Grief you'd attached around her finger, deep purple Grief seeping into the air and pulling away from her. The muted greys of the timestop claim her midblink, eyebrows drooping unevenly.
You sag, letting your eyes fall shut. You can feel Mami turn to hug you fully, pulling you close to her. A small hand touches you tentatively on your shoulder - Homura.
"That was... tiring," you murmur to no one in particular.
"You did well, Sabrina," Mami offers.
"Yeah, she's just so... teenager," you mutter.
"Well, she is," Mami says, a fond note in her voice. "We all are."
"Heh, well..." you say, opening your eyes. You find Mami smiling up at you, and Homura hovering just off to the side. "She just feels so, so..."
Mami shrugs.
You straighten without breaking the hug, sighing again.
"Anyway... I suppose we're done here," you murmur. An idle twist of will, and Grief trickles through the room in grasping little bubbles, scooping up the pieces of shattered plastic and gears frozen mid bounce. You snatch up each and every piece, checking Megane's Soul Gem one last time. Nice and clean, just a small sheen of Grief tarnishing it.
"Shall we go home?" Mami asks, looking up at you.
You smile. "Yeah. Let's go home. Homura, would you like to come along?"
She shrugs microscopically, moving over to the door in a swirl of hair. There's a thoughtful look on her face.
You take that as a yes, and follow her out, Mami clinging to you. On your way out, you pause by her desk and put down a few hundred yen notes - enough to cover the clock, and drop Andrea's Grief Seed on top of it. Idly, you check Hildegarde, still sitting quietly in your other pocket. Maybe it's a little warmer than cold crystal and metal should be, but then again, maybe not.
A few minutes later, you're soaring over Mitakihara on a carpet of Grief, Mami at your side and Homura behind you. Eventually, the time traveller breaks the silence. "... bunnycat?" she asks.
You blink.
"Oh. Right," you say. You did use that word. "Kyuubey. It's... like a cat, but it has these-" you flap your hands at your own ears, "-ear things. Like a bunny. So... bunnycat."
Homura blinks slowly at you.
"Oh, Sabrina," is Mami's contribution to the conversation as she nestles her head against your shoulder.
You chuckle. "Well. Yeah."
[] Write-in
=====​
Next vote will probably take you to bed. Vote accordingly.
And apologies, everyone, for the massive cutback in my update rate. I've had... significant amounts of trouble with life in general, lately.
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 14, 2015

- #57,062

A moment passes in a comfortable silence, cool wind ruffling your hair. Mitakihara unrolls beneath your carpet, a winding mural of subdued lights and soft-edged shadows. Skyscrapers loom monolithically over the city, bulwarks against the frozen rivers of light that are the roads.
You smile at Mami and Homura. "Hey. Mami, Homura?"
"Mm?" Mami smiles up at you, expression content.
Homura just glances silently at you.
"Thank you," you say. "Thank you both for putting up with all of that. I know it wasn't... pleasant."
"Of course, Sabrina," Mami replies, nestling her head back on your shoulder.
"You're welcome," Homura says.
You shake your head, smiling. "Even so... thank you both, so very much. Thank you for being there. It helps." You slip an arm around Mami's shoulders, hugging her close to you. She makes a contented little noise and nestles into your side.
Homura seems content to simply go along for now, staring off into the distance over the frozen cityscape. You track her gaze towards the south... in the direction of the Kaname residence. If you tilt the carpet a little bit this way and squint just a little and apply a little bit of imagination... you can just about see Madoka's house.
She glances back at you. You smile at her, tilting your head in the general direction she'd been looking in and raising an eyebrow. Homura nods, and returns to gazing at the distant house.
A few minutes later, you're walking back into Mami's apartment. Homura reaches for her shield, and with a hum of clockwork, restores the three of you back to the flow of time. Colour and noise, joyously violent, chases away the oppressive silence and deadened hues of the timestop. The clock on the shelf resumes its ticking - eight o'clock, just about.
The golden ribbon around your waist falls away. You turn to see a blaze of golden light - Mami transforming out of her puella magi costume. She takes a moment to just stand in the middle of the living room, looking around with a smile. "Ah, Homura," she says, turning to the time traveller. "You'll stay a while, right?"
The black haired girl hesitates before nodding.
Mami's smile broadens. "I'll make some tea!" she says, heading towards the kitchen.
You laugh. "I was just thinking that," you say, following Mami. "Do we have any cake left?"
A frown mars Mami's smile. "No, I don't think so... we should find some time to bake something," she says, reaching for the kettle to fill with water.
"Yeah, that sounds good," you say, hunting for the tea in a cabinet.
"Hmm... we have some biscuits, though," Mami says.
You smile at her. "That works."
The three of you are soon relaxing on the sofa, enjoying the tea and some sweet lemon biscuits. The relative silence has a different texture than that of the timestop, you reflect. You can hear the hum of Mitakihara city - the hum of traffic on the roads, the distant alarms sounding, the creaking pipes of the building. The clink of the teacups, the quiet crunches and sips as you enjoy your snack...
Once more, you're the first to broach the comfortable silence. "Mami, Homura?" you set aside your mostly empty teacup.
"Sabrina?" Mami asks, looking at you.
"You need to study, right? How about you, Homura?" you ask.
Mami nods. "I do," she says.
Homura shrugs. "I... have some homework to do," she says.
"Well... we could study together?" you suggest.
"That sounds good," Mami says. Homura, on the other hand, just shrugs. She raises her left hand, shield appearing in a flash of purple light. She reaches behind the shield, producing a stapled worksheet from it.
... why is she even carrying her homework in her shield?
... on the other hand, why not?
... on the other other hand, that might not even be this loop's homework.
You shake your head, and smile at her. Mami giggles, watching your expression fondly, before rising to collect her homework and textbook from her schoolbag.
You take a breath, smiling as Homura and Mami move over to the little coffee table, clearing a space for them to work. Meanwhile, you can and probably should contact Sayaka and Madoka, you think. They're long overdue for you to talk with, anyway. "Sayaka?"
"Oh! Sabrina?" The bleunette sounds startled.
"How are you doing?" you ask, pursing your lips slightly. You wave a finger in the air, a cascade of Grief marbles leaping forth from the slingbag at your command, alright melding into your instruments. Just a moment to decide what to play, and... there we go.
Mami looks up from her homework to smile at you, and you move to peek over her shoulder.
"I'm fine," Sayaka replies. She sounds somewhat evasive, but then... you think you get it.
"Good to hear," you say, reading Mami's textbook over her shoulder. A chapter on globalisation, apparently. "I know you've had a rough night, so... you know we're here if you need help, right?"
Sayaka pauses for a while before replying. "Yeah," she says, a slight catch in her voice. "Yeah, I know."
"Good," you say firmly, watching as Mami highlights a section of her text. You shuffle on your knees over to Homura. "Talk to you soon, yeah?"
"Yeah," she says. "See you."
You peer over Homura's shoulder as you end the connection to Sayaka and reach out for Madoka instead. "Madoka?"
"Ah! Hello, Sabrina!" the pinkette replies.
"Hi, Madoka. How are you?" you ask, watching as Homura marks out her answers in a neat, even script. Science homework, from the looks of it, and flawlessly, unerringly done. More than anything, that attests to how long she's been doing this, you suppose...
"Ah, I'm doing OK," Madoka says. "I'm doing my homework! It's hard, though..."
"Hang in there," you tell her. "I'm sure you'll get it right."
"Thank you!" she says. "Um... was there a reason you called me?"
"Nah, I'm just checking in," you say.
"Oh," Madoka says. "Thank you!"
"Hey, you're my friend too," you say. "Anyway... see you tomorrow?"
"Yes!" she declares. "See you, Sabrina!"
"Alright. See you," you say, and end the call.
Time passes quickly, and in relative silence. You help Mami with her revision, bouncing a few ideas and questions off her as she studies for the re-test, while Homura demolishes her worksheet in short order. Eventually, you're all done for the night.
Homura stands, tucking her homework away, and obviously preparing to leave.
[] Write-in
=====​
OK, so I meant to send Sabrina to sleep, but this seemed like a natural place to end the post. This next vote'll take you through wakeup and the early morning, so vote accordingly.
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 16, 2015

- #57,210

"Homura?" you call, reaching out towars her. She flinches, and almost pulls away, before stopping at the last moment. "Wait a moment?"
She nods, giving you a curious look.
"Mami, could Homura stay the night, maybe?" you ask.
Mami smiles, golden eyes warm. "That should be fine," she says. "We would be glad to have you stay over, Homura."
The time traveller looks away for a second, and then back at you. "Thank you for the offer," she says quietly, the harsh lines easing out of her face as her expression softens.
"Well. Maybe another time?" you suggest, taking the implict 'no' for what it is. "And... would you like a cleansing before you go?"
"That would be nice," she says quietly, raising her hand towards you in response. A crook of your finger, and Grief drifts free of the shining silvery ring, streaming through the air to form a little halo around your finger. Not too much of it, and a thought sends it pouring out of the window and up to the roof to join the primary mass.
You smile at Homura, rising and joining her at the door. Mami follows you, just a step behind. "Good night, Homura. We'll see you tomorrow?"
She nods again. "Good night."
"Good night, Homura," Mami adds, smiling.
Homura turns and heads out of the door, her oddly bifurcated mane of black hair swishing through the air behind her. You close and lock the door before turning just in time for Mami to engulf you in a hug.
You hug her back just as tightly, resting your cheek against her hair.
Seconds tick by and run into minutes. The tension, already ebbing from your form, drains away entirely. Another day has passed, and nothing awful has happened. Yet, some traitorously pessimistic part of your mind whispers, but you ruthless squash that down.
Mami stirs, and you release her from the hug. She smiles up at you, expression content.
You return the smile. "We should probably get ready for bed," you say.
"We should..." Mami agrees, making no move towards actually doing so.
You laugh, and nudge her lightly towards the bedroom. She laughs, too, and walks in the indicated direction while you seat yourself on the sofa, wearily closing your eyes. It's been a long day, Mumi-hugs notwithstanding.
Footsteps. You open your eyes to see Mami carrying a change of clothing, paused at the bathroom door and watching you. Still not quite over that, then. You give her a smile, and wave at the couch.
She smiles back, and shuts the bathroom door behind her.
Eventually, you and Mami head off to bed, with only a little hesitance as she lies down next to you. "Good night, Sabrina," she whispers, dappled moonlight casting a gentle glow on her.
"Good night, Mami," you say, closing your eyes.
You're asleep almost immediately.
=====​
You wake up, sweaty and uneasy. A lingering feeling of... oddness... settles in on you, and you can't shake the feeling that you've forgotten something.
You stare at the ceiling. Mami's form is still tucked into your side, her breathing slow and even in peaceful sleep, arm draped around you.
Well, things to do, a new day to face.
Moving slowly and carefully, you ease Mami's arm off you. Her sleeping face scrunches up a little, groping for you, and you regretfully replace yourself with a pillow before heading off to the bathroom.
When you step out of the bathroom a few minutes later, you find Mami sitting up on the bed, golden hair a ruffled, curly mess. She's awake enough to give you a sleepy smile, blearily rubbing at her eyes.
"Good morning, Mami," you say, smiling back at her.
"Good morning, Sabrina," she replies, standing and stretching wearily. She walks over to you, stopping before you and looking up at you hopefully.
"I'll be in the kitchen, OK?" you say, obliging her silent request and wrapping her in a hug.
"OK," she says, clinging to you for a moment before separating and heading for the bathroom.
A few minutes later finds you humming to yourself in the kitchen as you start the rice boiling. "One day, one step, three steps in thre- hi, Mami," you say, noticing Mami stepping in, her hair redone in her familiar curls.
"Hi, Sabrina," she says, beaming at you. "What are you making?"
"I was thinking omelettes on rice?" you suggest, indicating the eggs sitting on the table while busying yourself with chopping up vegetables for lunch.
"Ah, that sounds good," Mami says, locating a bowl and cracking the eggs into them.
Breakfast and lunch fill the small apartment with savoury, mouthwatering scents and vapours amidst good-natured contention for kitchen space. When you're done, you sit down with Mami at the table, tea and meaty omelettes on rice arrayed out before you. Bowls of miso soup rounds out the meal.
You flash a smile across the table to Mami as you start to dig in. "Goooood morning, Mitakihara!" you call cheerfully, reaching out to your friends. Mami, of course, and Homura, and Madoka, and Sayaka, and Hitomi.
You're greeted by a flurry of 'good mornings'. Hitomi's the last to respond.
"Good morning," Hitomi replies slowly. "Do you do this every morning, Sabrina?"
"Yes, I do!" you say as you lop off a piece of omelette with your fork. "I like checking in on my friends, and 's a good wakeup call for sleepyheads like Sayaka. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka grumbles, sounding unusually subdued. There's no energy to the complaint. "Laugh it up."
Before you can respond, Madoka does, piping up anxiously. "Sayaka? Are you OK?"
"Yeah... yeah, I'm OK," the bleunette replies.
... she doesn't sound it. You raise an eyebrow at Mami, who looks just as baffled as you are.
The telepathic conversation stalls out for a bit.
"Ah! Sayaka, Homura, don't forget, we need to bring the newspaper print outs today," Madoka says.
"Yes," Homura agrees.
"Ah. Yeah, got them," Sayaka says.
"Shall I be seeing you on the way to school today?" Hitomi asks.
"Yeah," you say. "That's a granted."
"Very well," Hitomi says. "I need to prepare for school, so see you soon, then."
"See you!" you say. This is taken as a cue for everyone to leave the conversation, busying themselves with their own preparations for school.
"Sayaka seems worried about something," Mami notes, looking down at her half finished breakfast.
"Yeah," you agree. "She was a bit last night too, wasn't she?"
Mami shakes her head, unsure.
You sigh. "Well, we'll talk to her later." A thought strikes you, and you reach out for Homura again as you return to eating. "Hey, Homura?"
"Yes?" the time traveller replies immediately.
"About what we talked about yesterday, when do you think we should start our search?" you ask. You hope that she'll take the hunt - you don't really want to mention Sasa Yuuki over telepathy where unwelcome bunnycats might be listening in.
Homura doesn't respond immediately, presumably taking a moment to recall what you mean. "After lunch, or after school?" she suggests, at length.
"Alright, that works," you say, sipping at your miso soup. "We'll figure it out a little closer in?"
"Agreed," Homura says.
"Alright. Um... I need to check in on Oriko today, too. I want to know if she's figured out anything about the clear seeds, and... I've got some questions for her, too," you say.
There's another long pause before Homura replies. "I see."
"Yeah," you say lamely, and the conversation peters out again while you busy yourself eating. "So, um. Is that OK?"
"... yes, it's fine," Homura replies.
"OK. See you soon, then," you say.
"See you," Homura replies.
By this time, Mami's finishing her breakfast, and you hurry to catch up. After doing the dishes, Mami disappears back into the bedroom to prepare for school, and you wait for her. You're soon leaving the apartment, your slingbag slung over your shoulder, Grief and lunchbox and obrez safely hidden inside.
The two of you start towards school, enjoying the early morning air. Mami's a warm presence walking close at your side, brushing against you every so often.
Two... well, four more people to check in on. "Masami, Hiroko?"
"Hmmmfzzlrm?" Masami replies.
... well. It's not like they keep regular hours. They don't go to school, after all.
Masami seems to wake up a little more. "... Sabrina?"
"Good morning," you say.
"What kind of hour do you call this?" she complains, mental voice fuzzy and still evidently half asleep.
"... um. Sorry. Didn't occur to me," you say, feeling sheepish.
"Too early to yell at you. What do you want?" she demands grumpily.
"... well um, could I drop in on you later? Just want to talk to you about something that came up," you say, thinking of Megane. Talking them into this is going to be a right pain, you suspect. "If, or when it's convenient."
"... whatever, so long as it's after ten," Masami grumps back at you. "Good night." She slams the connection shut.
...
Prooooobably a good idea not to bother Kyouko. She'll be asleep, too.
You halt midstep, a presence impinging on the edges of your senses. Mami stops too, glancing at you. The sparse crowds part and flow around the two of you on the pavement, a few dirty looks coming your way for stopping in the middle of the pavement.
"Magical girl," you murmur. The presence is standing still, on the same path that you'll be taking to school. "On the way to school?"
Mami seems to sharpen, her posture straightening subtly. "Hostile?"
"I don't know. She's just waiting, it looks like?" you say.
Mami nods slowly. "What do you think we should do?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Two down.
Last edited: Aug 16, 2015
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#### Onmur

##### Archangel of Nutella.

- Aug 16, 2015

- #57,288

"Good night, Mami," you say, closing your eyes.
You're asleep almost immediately.
==="Rubble slams down all around, great boulders of concrete falling to the earth with reverberating thuds. Rebar and girders protrude irregularly to form a forest of deadly spars.
A pair of hands, small and pale, with a rhomboid-cut amethyst set into the back of one, scrabble against the ground. Knees slam down onto the broken rubble underfoot with sharp cracks of bone on concrete.
Lurid light glares from the sky, shrouded by a twilight storm that should not be. Enough light to cast everything in spidery shadows skittering across the wreckage of the city.
Wychfire, Witch fire, burns in coruscating, rainbow gouts across the sky.
Blistering rain slashes across the city, driven by the bitterly cold wind. Concrete dust and shattered glass and dirt mixes into slurry, slick underfoot.
Dead, yawning silence swallows up the hammering of the rain."===
You wake up, sweaty and uneasy. A lingering feeling of... oddness... settles in on you, and you can't shake the feeling that you've forgotten something.
Them sneaky url tags.
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 17, 2015

- #57,427

You've no idea who it could be - Sasa Yuuki, the Soujos, someone else from Asunaro... There's no friendly meguca you know who wouldn't call ahead by telepathy. Except... A deep seated worm of apprehension takes root in your gut as you start to consider a very possibility, one your reluctant to even consider.
"Sabrina?" Mami asks.
"I'm... not very sure," you admit. "I'll follow your lead, Mami."
She nods, expression firming. "Alright. We'll go and talk to her, then... This is a public place, so if she's hostile, she probably won't start anything here," Mami says. She hesitates for a moment before adding, "It's... fairly normal, for magical girls from out of town to meet somewhere public."
"OK," you say, gesturing forward. "Shall w- actually, I'll let Homura know, too, yeah?"
"That's a good idea," Mami says, giving you a distracted smile, before returning to frowning down the road as if she could see through the intervening distance and people and buildings and trees. She ignores the flow of people parting around the two of you, distracted. "I've made it clear that any magical girls passing through Mitakihara should let me know first... Maybe she's new?"
"Homura, there's a magical girl ahead of us, on the way to school," you send telepathically. "I don't know who it is. It looks like she might be waiting for us."
"Understood," Homura replies nearly instantly. "I'll check on Madoka." There's a pause, a few heartbeats, and then - "Madoka's fine. I'll stay with her."
"Right," you murmur. Turning your attention to Mami, you nod. "OK. I've told Homura - she's keeping an eye on Madoka to make sure."
"Alright," Mami nods again, straightening her posture resolutely. "Let's go."
You smile, squaring your shoulders, and fall into step beside Mami. It's really just a short walk, to the end of the street and around the corner and then you'll see who the mystery magical girl is. Just a little further.
Grief. In your bag, marbles by the hundreds immediately to hand. The bigger mass of Grief is seconds away, hovering unseen at the rooftop level, and all of it there and present in your mind's eye and ready to respond in an instant. You briefly wonder if you've sparked off any UFO stories yet? It's entirel- focus.
Assault rifle hiding with the main mass of Grief, gold bars and cash, too. If nothing else, you could possibly distract a hostile meguca with a literal rain of money for a moment. Obrez in your bag, within easy grasp. You roll your shoulders and flex your fingers slightly, limbering up just in case.
Just in case.
You try to quell the roiling mix of speculation and worry and lizards that's congealing in your stomach. Specifically bearded dragons. With raspberries balanced on their heads.
... Well, that last one's fine. Then mental image is kind of cute. And begs the question of why, but-
Almost at the corner. You take a deep breath, bracing yourself before you step around the corner at Mami's side, and-
It's her.
Moderately toned figure, brilliant blue eyes, messy mop of blue hair... tentative smile slipping off her face.
Beside you, Mami halts dead. Someone nearly runs into her from behind, but she barely notices. "Sabrina, is she...?"
Sayaka waves weakly at you. The morning sun glints off the new silver ring on her finger.
Mami's expression falls. "Oh. Oh, Sayaka," she whispers, quiet anguish in her voice. She starts forward, confident stride of before melting away.
Sayaka's expression crumples when on seeing Mami's expression. "I..."
"I..." Mami seems lost for words, too, stopping in front of Sayaka and wringing her hands. She can't seem to meet the younger girl's eyes.
"I," Sayaka swallows. "I didn't want to be helpless. I wanted to help." Desperation underlies her voice, her gaze darting between you and Mami.
[] Write-in
=====​
Oh. Well then.
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Aug 18, 2015

- #57,646

Oh, no no no.
Damn it.
Sayaka. Sayaka made a contract. She made a Wish, and it's your fault. You weren't there for her - you should have seen the signs, her feeling ever more useless, ever more indebted. The tipping point was probably when you saved her from Elsa Maria, wasn't it?
You swallow hard, trying to squash the bubbling panic and terror and self recrimination. This is... not good, but it's not a disaster. Not yet. Sayaka's a magical girl, yes, but that doesn't mean that she's doomed to die. Even if she has, previously, but no, not with you around. You can keep her alive, no problem.
It's... not like you could have stopped her from making her choices. You can't, not if you want to still let her be her own person. And she made her choice, indeed.
She felt useless, because she had to be saved. From the fire, from homelessness, from a Witch. And in a very real way, she was powerless. So she reached out for power.
Breathe in.
At least she made her choice knowing some, if not all, of the... problems.
Though speaking of knowing... You might need to have words with Oriko. Maybe she didn't see this, but...
... You know, her precog seems pretty underwhelming, recently. She did point you at Elsa Maria and Megane, but she didn't see Sayaka nearly getting eaten until the last moment and if she saw Sayaka making a Wish, she certainly didn't mention it.
And out.
You reach out to Homura telepathically. "Homura? It's Sayaka."
"It's OK, Sayaka," you say. You're quite proud of yourself; your voice doesn't waver. "You don't have to explain. I get it."
Sayaka swallows. "T-thanks."
Homura's response is a curt, "Understood."
"Sayaka, you... your..." Mami makes a helpless little gesture at Sayaka's hand, and the Soul Gem glinting upon it.
"Y-yeah," Sayaka says. She gives a weak, wobbly smile. "I... didn't want to be a burden. I-it's... I was thinking about it a lot, and I kinda..." Sayaka trails off, looking away. "But this way I can help, right?"
You exhale sharply. "Yeah. We'll..." you trail off, try to smile encouragingly at her. You're not sure to what degree you succeed. "We'll all do our best. Make sure you-" live "-do well, too."
"Thanks," Sayaka says, a flash of a genuine smile showing for a moment. "Mami? Are you OK?"
Mami gives her a wan smile. "I'm alright." She bumps her shoulder against your side, and you oblige her unspoken request with a one armed hug, trying to inject reassurance into the gesture.
The three of you stand in a little bubble of silence admist the chattering students drifting towards the school. Sayaka's fiddling with the ring on her hand, twisting it around and around her finger, while Mami clings to your side.
"I'm sorry, Sayaka," you say at length, trying to purge your mind of thoughts of having an evil twin. Clones would be terribly nice, and let you do more things at once, bu- focus. "I didn't want you to get dragged into this, but I'm glad to have you with us. I know you'll be a great puella magi. Welcome to the team!"
"Heh. Thanks," Sayaka says, chuckling weakly. "Puerla magi? Is that like magical girl?"
"Yeah, kind of," you shrug. "It's latin. Say, um, Sayaka? Could you tell me what you Wished for? I know it might be personal, but it's important for your magic."
Sayaka looks away, lips pressing together. "I wished I could do something," she says in a low voice. "I... yeah."
That's... a terribly open ended Wish. You open your mouth, about to ask her more, but you're interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Good morning!" Madoka calls as she walks up, Homura trailing at her side.
The time traveller's violet gaze shifts to Sayaka, then to you. Homura's posture is tightly controlled, her steps deliberately even and measured. Even so, you can see the tension in her jaw and shoulders as she returns to staring at the newly minted magical girl.
"O-oh, hi, Madoka," Sayaka says, waving at her friend with her right hand - the hand without the ring. "H-hi, Homura."
"Hi, Sayaka!" Madoka says, returning the wave. The smile droops a moment later, though. "I-is something wrong?"
[] Write-in
( ＾◡＾)ノ" *headpats*
=====​
Oh. Well then.
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