- New posts
- New threadmarks

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.

# 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?

Threadmarks
Apocrypha
Informational
Staff Post
View content
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 18
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 3, 2014

- #7,824

Curious, you try to sense what the two magical girls' Grief levels are like. You can't tell how full their Soul Gems are without an actual look at said Soul Gems, but you can detect how much Grief they have in absolute terms - both are hovering at roughly the equivalent to 20% of Mami's maximum capacity.
... that's more than you'd rather have, really, but not everyone is as fortunate as you are.
You look left and right, checking the corridor carefully, before untransforming in the usual blaze of light. You take a moment to steel yourself before pressing the button for the door bell, listening to it buzz from inside the house.
Both figures on the couch jerk, and a moment later, one heads deeper into the apartment, while one walks slowly to the door. "Coming!" a throaty female voice calls.
The door opens a crack, a moment later, security chain still strung across the gap. Green eyes framed by black hair falling past the girl's shoulders -not nearly as impressive as Homura's- peer up at you, the owner of the eyes being somewhat shorter than yourself. She's dressed casually, in a simple dark green dress, and past her, in the living room proper, you can see the television still on, now muted.
The other magical girl is nowhere to be seen, but then again, you can't see that much through the crack to which the door is opened, and she's probably in one of the other rooms, anyway.
"Hi!" you say with a bright smile, tucking your hair behind your ear with a deliberate gesture that shows your Soul Gem ring. "I'm Sabrina... you're Gaikotsu Masami, right? I'm a new magical girl from the east... well, central Mitakihara, I just thought I'd introduce myself."
"Ah, I'm not Masami-chan. She isn't in right now," the girl says with a shake of her head, appending the familiar, affectionate honorific to the name. "I... I'm Wakahisa Hiroko, I'm pleased to meet you." She doesn't make any move to open the door any further, simply blinking up at you with her emerald green eyes.
[] Continue talking to Hiroko...
- [] Ask about the other magical girl
- [] Talk about...
[] Leave
[] Write-in
=====​
And Hiroko is her first name, for the record.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 19
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 4, 2014

- #7,869

You smile back. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Wakahisa!"
She smiles faintly back, but you can see that she's clearly uncomfortable.
You sigh. "OK. I understand that most of us magical girls are rather... hm... 'angrily antisocial' is a good way to put it. I'd rather not be that kind of girl." You take a deep breath - time to force the issue. "May I come in? Just to talk?"
You do your best to look pitiful, but you're not very sure how well it works when you're half a head taller than the girl. As you are with most people you know, really.
The girl's eyes go distant for a moment, before she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I'd rather not..."
"Or maybe we can have coffee or something, somewhere public?" you offer. "I understand if you don't want to, but um... yeah..."
Hiroko shakes her head more firmly. "Sorry, I'd rather not. Maybe you could come back another time?" she says, despite her tone and posture saying she'd rather not see you again.
"Ah, well, I wou-" she begins to close the door, and you hurriedly jam a foot against the door. "I can cleanse Soul Gems," you blurt.
Hiroko stops trying to close the door, emerald eyes blinking quizzically at you. "What?"
"I can cleanse Soul Gems," you repeat. "That's my power."
"Umm. That's impossible," she says blankly. "I think?"
"No, it's not, I'd gladly demonstr-" you say hurriedly, but are cut off by a new voice.
"Hey. I believe Hiroko said you should go away," the new voice sounds from inside the apartment. The newer voice, also female, sounds... odd, possessed of a certain gurgling, buzzing undertone.
... you could point out that technically, she hasn't, but you probably shouldn't, you decide.
"Masami! But weren't you hidi-" Hiroko starts in surprise, looking off to the side.
"She obviously knows I'm here," Masami replies, sounding disgruntled.
The owner of the voice stalks into view, gently nudging Hiroko out of the way and pulling the door open to the maximum of the security chain.
She's not what you'd expected. Masami, or so you presume this is, is a slim redhead, with delicate Asian features and brown eyes, and slightly taller than Hiroko is. She's dressed in a purple turtleneck sweater and long pants - covering up most of her skin, you can't help but notice.
... she looks absolute normal, though, frowning imperiously at you. "You're one of Mami's, aren't you?"
[] Write-in
=====​
You were expecting a skeleton? Too bad! It was just a cute girl! I've been waiting to use that line.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 20
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 6, 2014

- #7,925

That's not an encouraging start. "I... the clothes gave it away, didn't they?"
Masami gives you a look, half quizzical, half irritated. "The clothes?" She gives you another look, noting the slightly loose, slightly too short clothes. "I- look, city center is Mami's, full stop. If you came from there, you're one of hers."
You shake your head. "Right. In any case, yes, I'm a friend of hers," you mutter. You decide to take a better look at her, with your other senses - you need to know more.
Masami is a veritable blaze of active magic, far beyond the quiet, crackling storm you expect of a normal puella magi. Delicate, incandescent traceries are spread across every part of her body. They run out from her Soul Gem in febrile tendrils interlacing and twisting into each other, outlining her entire body in a winding lace.
Overlaying it all is a muted sheen, a sheathe hiding everything under another a layer of magic that has a different feel to it, anchored to a web spinning from...
Spinning from Hiroko.
... huh.
"Hey. You there?" Masami says, still looking quizzically at you.
"Hm? Yeah, just zoned out a bit; stray thought about programming languages," you excuse yourself.
"... right," Masami says, eyes narrowed, seemingly trying to figure out whether you're mocking her or not. "So what are you here for? I told Mami I... I didn't want to see her."
You quirk an eyebrow at her, tilting your head in the direction of Hiroko, still lurking out of sight beside Masami. You don't bring that up, though, instead saying, "Seriously, I'm just here to talk. Not sure if you heard me or not, but my ability is to control Grief, and purify Soul Gems. I'm offering my services if you need them, because I'd like to be on good terms with my neighbours."
Masami crosses her arms. "Right. Pull the other one."
"I'm telling the truth," you protest. "I'll demonstrate, too."
"Go on, then," Masami challenges, before a thought seems to strike her. "... actually, one moment." The redhead shuts the door, and you hear the clatter of the security chain as she pulls it off, and the low murmur of conversation. When the door is pulled open again, both Masami and Hiroko are standing there, watching you with wary eyes.
"Right," you say, glancing up and down the corridor, making sure that there's no one see. You manifest your Soul Gem from its ring from, and hold it out to them to let them see the minor sheen of corruption swirling on its surface. "Grief, right?"
Reluctant nods from the pair, Hiroko looking particularly intent upon you.
You raise your other hand, and pull the corruption free to form a small cloud. "And just to prove it," you say, pulling out one of your Grief Seeds, still unused. You tap the Grief Seed against your Soul Gem, and hold it out for them, displaying the distinct lack of Grief transfer.
Both the girls stare, looking completely poleaxed, jaws hanging open. A moment later, Masami's head twitches slightly in Hiroko's direction, and the black-haired girl nods minusculely, seemingly in response. They're having a telepathic conversation, that much is obvious to you.
You can't help but smirk as you stow both your Soul Gem and the Grief Seed, tucking them away as your ring and into your pocket. As an afterthought, you collapse the cloud into a marble, letting it orbit your finger as you wait for the pair to finish their debate.
"Give us a moment," Masami says, one hand on the door and one hand reaching for Hiroko's shoulder.
The black-haired girl turns to face her and frowns at Masami. "But-"
"Or actually," Masami says loudly, over the smaller girl's protest, "Maybe you could come back tomorrow?"
"Masami- She could hel-" the black haired girl squeezes her eyes shut, as if fighting off an impending headache. "Tomorrow's Friday. She might not-"
[] Agree to come back tomorrow
[] Insist on staying here
[] Write-in
=====​
Fun fact: Typing 'import antigravity' into Python actually works.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 21
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 7, 2014

- #8,061

"Excuse me," you say loudly, cutting across the pair's burgeoning argument. Two pairs of eyes, one brown, one green, turn to look at you. "I can come back tomorrow, if it works out better for you."
Masami nods quickly. "That would be better," she says, tossing a quelling look at Hiroko, who in turn nods reluctantly.
You shrug. "Alright, then, tomorrow. Any preferred time?"
"Uh..." Masami exchanges a glance with Hiroko, who shakes her head. "Around now?"
"Sure," you agree readily. It's not like you have much else to do. "One more thing, though," you add, raising a finger. "I'm mostly pretty free, so you can contact me any time sooner if you want me to come by." You smoothly switch to telepathy, reaching out to the two of them. "We should be able to telepath each other."
"Noted," Masami responds the same way.
"Alright. See you, then," you say.
"See you," Hiroko says, followed by a quick "Bye," from Masami. The door shuts behind you as you walk away, and you can hear the argument resuming.
As you stroll out of the building at a casual pace, you keep a metaphorical eye on the pair with your other senses. By the time you're at the stairwell, they've moved over to the couch, and a few minutes later, you can feel the sheathe of magic around Masami wink out. Conserving magic? Eventually, they break up, one moving to what you guess is their study, and the other staying there on the couch.
Feh. Domestic disputes.
You walk into the alley beside the building and bound to the roof, wincing at the cracks you're still leaving in the walls. Once you reach the roof, you reach for a Grief Seed, and yank a tremendous quantity of Grief out, enough that your wings billow out to the twenty meter wing span. The Grief Seed is still fairly cloudy when you pocket it again.
A powerful flap, and you lift off easily, rising from the roof top. This time, you've got a better idea on how to do this, and you flap more gently, but with a longer draw time. The flight is a lot smoother, this time, though you still wobble clumsily as you fly.
You bank east, rapidly rising in the mid-afternoon thermals, well past the height of the skycrapers. As you cut across the city like some enormous bird, you admire the glittering cityscape laid out beneath you. Shining skycrapers in the city center, giving way to shorter, less grandiose buildings, all crisscrossed and interlinked by massive roadways twisting and looping around each other. And, of course, the occasional, nonsensical rolling swathes of greenery interspersed with housing which makes no damned sense in land starved Japan-
You choke back the thought, simply enjoying the peace, way up here in the sky as your flight gradually smoothens out. Your wing tips describe enormous, lopsided, sideturned 'D' shapes, making your flight smoother in contrast with the jerking slams of a few hours ago.
The flight across the city soon has you over the old industrial area, nearly deserted as it always is. You carefully avoid the few factories still operating, and the powerplant on the edge of the area, skirting around the pillars of flue gas exhausted from the towering smokestacks.
You circle a bit, finding a nicely deserted spot, before coming in for another landing.
...
You don't exactly nail it, and there's a great big rent in the side of a warehouse where your wing clipped and carved effortlessly through steel. You're intact, though, and you're in the yard of an old warehouse, surrounded by a tall, chain-link fence.
There's a rusting tower crane nearby, should you feel the need to get up high for whatever reason, and plenty of room. A few old hulks of machinery lie about, here a tremendous internal combustion engine you guess originated from a truck with dried crusts of oil pooled underneath it, there the abandoned scoop from a digger...
You have a little time, perhaps two hours to explore your abilities before you should head over to the hospital to find Mami and the others. What to do, what to do...
[] Write-in
=====​
Today's random trivia: The proper term for a power plant's (or similar) exhaust is 'flue gas'.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 22
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 7, 2014

- #8,102

Hmm. First things first; musical accompaniment. You spin your instruments out of Grief marbles, hesitating a moment and trying to figure out a wind section. Tunable pipes are easy enough, but airflow is tricky... Eventually, you settle on bellows of a sort, and begin playing something dredged from your memory.
Right then.
You bounce on your feet, eager to test out new things. For science and all!
The first thing... well, Grief armour's something that's been floating about your brain for a way. You'd rather like to know what it'd do long term, though. A quick look around the area.... yields you a random piece of metal rebar. You whip the rebar overhead in a spin before slamming one end of it into the ground to embed it upright in the floor. You dissociate a Grief marble, and hold the resulting cloud around the end of the rebar - you'll come back to take another look at this later.
The obvious thing to test are those two massive constructs hovering behind you - your wings. Flying's remarkably fun, after all! You try to lift yourself by the wings the same way you move Grief around - to your complete lack of surprise, it works as expected. You move yourself upwards, then horizontally sideways, then backwards, wings unflapping all the while.
... well, it works, but you look rather silly, you opine to yourself. Like you're being moved around by a giant, invisible arcade claw machine. Still... you reach behind your back, sliding your hand over your shoulderblades. And that's the point - the wings aren't actually attached to you, and yet they can still provably move you around.
Magic is such bullshit, you muse as you hover over to where you'd left the piece of rebar to check on it. You pull the Grief cloud aside for a moment, and glance at the metal. It looks norma- wait. You squint at it more closely - it's glowing. Very dimly, but nevertheless a deep, almost-black purple.
... Huh. You put the Grief cloud back around the end of the rebar - you still need to see how it reacts over longer periods. For now, back to the wings...
You sort of wonder whether you can change how those work, though, you muse as you land on the ground again. You prod at the wings with your Grief manipulation - interestingly, you can sense tendrils of magic connecting from you to the wings, which makes sense. Similar tendrils wind through every bit of Grief you have - your bag, with all the marbles in it, shows up as a incandescent bundle of magic and Grief.
So... can you move the wings away from yourself?
You try it, 'grabbing' one wing with your Grief manipulation and trying to pull it awa- "Urk!"
You succeed in pulling yourself off balance, falling over backwards, arms pinwheeling and wings flailing. There's a distinct mess on the ground -deep furrows carved out of the dirt- and dust coating your back when you get back up again.
... that's really kind of strange. Absently, you music tracks, since the last song finished. You dissolve one of the wings, letting yourself go one winged angel, as it were - the wings don't actually weigh you down, so the lopsided balance doesn't make a difference.
Instinctively, you feel that you should rebalance the wing into smaller wings, even as you let the Grief from the dissolved wing billow out in a tremendous, roiling cloud. It's an instinct you can tamp down on, certainly, but then again, you have instincts for roof hopping that tell you you should try to land like so and not like that... You give in, and let the wing equalize to form two smaller wings.
So the wings are wings, and forming them into that shape comes with a bundle of instincts. How odd, you muse as you meld the enormous Grief cloud back into the wings to get them out of the way, wings rippling back out to size.
You keep a moderately sized cloud, though, and you let it hang in front of you, diffuse and bilious. A twist of your will has small, finger length and needle sharp spikes coalescing out of the cloud, lancing out in a flash. Simple enough, but it's good to confirm that you can do it.
You keep one of the spikes going straight up, observing it as it continues upawards. As it leaves your sphere of influence, it dissipates, thinning out into the air - but not before a moment of coherence, where it seems to try to shift... It's there and gone in a flash, though. Perhaps something to be investigated later.
The next thing to do is... Hm. Marbles are awfully unwieldly, and a Grief Seed is evidently a much denser source of storage. Maybe you can try compressing stuff? You hesitate, and pull more Grief from your wings, and force it to accrete into a basketball sized sphere in front of you.
You focus on that sphere, and try to force compress it into a smaller, denser mass.
... It's like trying to crush a bowling ball. It just doesn't want to become denser, no matter how you try. Still, you keep trying, because godsdamnit you're not letting this stupid inanimate thing win-
... So how do Grief Seeds work?
"Sabrina?" a familiar telepathic voice intrudes on you. Mami.
"Yes, Mami?" you respond, glaring balefuly at the mass of Grief, still obdurately basketball sized, albeit a misshapen sphere from where you absolutely did not lose your temper and start smacking it with your warhammer. Absently, you dismiss the warhammer lying discarded on the ground, and halt your Grief... well, you suppose it merits 'orchestra', now, with the variety of instruments you have in there.
You take a moment to walk over to the rebar and check it. It-
"Ah... school's over. Would you like to join us at the hospital? We're visiting Sayaka and Hitomi," Mami asks.
The rebar, still standing upright where you left it, is... corroded. The part that was inside of the Grief cloud is weathered and pockmarked, and flakes of rust litter the ground around the rebar.
[] Write-in
=====​
This exists, so it seems reasonable that Sabrina can do wind instruments.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 23
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 8, 2014

- #8,142

"I'll be right there, Mami!" you reply to Mami.
You give the melted rebar one last, long look as you pull away the cloud, flicking the piece of steel with your finger. It cracks lengthwise, structural integrity apparently completely gone.
Huh.
Your hair and back are covered in loose dirt and there's probably bits of gravel and things stuck in your hair, but those'll probably sort themselves out when you detransform later. For now, you'll still need your wings. You collect all the loose Grief, collapsing your impromptu orchestra back into marbles, and adding the Grief cloud to your wings.
Speaking of which...
You launch yourself into the air, jumping powerfully and flapping the wings. This time, though, you cheat a little, using your Grief manipulation to give yourself a hair more lift, a sliver more control. You could just drag yourself around without flapping the wings at all, but that's entirely unstylish.
You arrow across the city, heading towards the hospital at a relatively leisurely pace - you can easily match your roof-hopping speed, and you can probably go faster if you need to.
"Hey, Homura?" you telepath to the time traveller.
"Yes?" she replies.
"We're going to the hospital right now. Would you like to come along?" you query.
"I'm headed there right now," she informs you.
"No, I mean actually visiting, with Madoka and Mami," you clarify.
"... I am with Madoka and Mami right now," Homura replies after a short, puzzled pause.
"Oh, excellent," you say brightly, immediately cheered by that. "Alright, then another thing... would you consider helping Mami and I heal Kyousuke's hand? It'd help mend bridges with Sayaka, and... remove some of her worries." You emphasize the 'worries', hoping that she understands your meaning.
"We can talk later," she allows.
"Alright. See you soon," you say.
"... see you," she says.
It doesn't take you too much longer to reach Mitakihara General. Landing... is still an issue, since you have no idea how to do that.
On the other hand, you can cheat.
Grief manipulation has you stopping dead in the air, your limbs flailing a bit like a ragdoll at the sudden stop, and you then lower yourself down directly onto the roof of one of the hospital buildings.
... It occurs to you that if you ever need to, you can probably pull of an incredibly badass entry.
... one day.
You reach into your pocket, pulling out Hildegard's Grief Seed to replace the Grief. Looking at it, though... it seems less cloudy than it did a few hours ago. You stare at it, trying to figure out how that happened. Mayb-
Homura's standing in front of you, in the white and purple of her puella magi uniform. Behind her is Mami, similarly resplendent in her own costume, worried frown on her face. The three of you are bound by Mami's ribbons, and the world is hued in the monochromes of timestop.
Homura is busily rifling through your pockets, which you instinctively flinch away from and shove her away. "Hey!"
"Sabrina," Mami begins speaking quickly. "You have a severely overfilled Grief Seed - we could feel it from over there." The blonde points off in the distance.
You blink at her, and plunge your free hand into your pocket, finding the other Grief Seed you have and pulling it out. When you look at it, it is visibly pulsating and surrounded by a sheen of Grief, and now that it's been pointed out - you do notice it, pulsing faintly on your senses.
"What happened, Sabrina?" Mami asks anxiously.
[] Write-in what to tell Mami
[] Call for Kyuubey
[] Rebalance the Grief between the two Seeds
[] Proceed to visit...
[] Write-in
=====​
Specify conversation if you're visiting anyone other than Sayaka. Oh, and Madoka, too, if there's anything specific to be said.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 24
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 9, 2014

- #8,235

"I... don't know," you respond, looking blankly between the two Grief Seeds - Aurora's, horribly overfilled and throbbing menacingly, Hildegard's, somehow emptier than it should be. "I didn't even touch that one, honest!"
Mami frowns. "Then why is it so overfilled? It's dangerous."
"Hmm... does Grief transfer between Grief Seeds when you touch them together?" you ask curiously. "It doesn't, right?"
"It doesn't," Mami tells you.
"Why does this Grief Seed look like that?" Homura asks, pointing at Hildegard's Grief Seed, in its smoky, rather than obsidian black, glory. The black haired girl is frowning at the odd looking Grief Seed - you suppose she would have seen plenty of about-to-hatch Grief Seeds, but this, on the other hand, would be the first half-empty one she's come across.
"I extracted some Grief from it to make my wings," you reply. "Speaking of which, um, let me try something?"
Without waiting for an answer, you hurriedly put Hildegard's Seed aside for a moment, and yank at the Grief in Aurora's. The Grief comes free almost sulkily, heavy, ropy streamers oozing from the Grief Seed. It almost feels like the Witch is trying to hang on to the Grief, but you counter that easily.
You observe Aurora's Grief Seed closely as the Grief flows away - you can feel an impression of the Witch again, the blues and blacks and marble of the Barrier trying to reform - the Witch was definitely trying to hatch again. There's a sensation of... hunger, predation maybe?
Hildegard, by contrast, is simply... quiet, the Grief sitting immobile within the Grief Seed. You wonder, and hope that perhaps it's turning back into a Soul Gem. Maybe, maybe not - nothing seems to be happening right now.
You convert the Grief from Aurora's Grief Seed into marbles, forming a several hundred which you pack neatly away in your sling bag.
Mami visibly relaxes as the Grief Seed returns to a more conventional state, subtle tension of her muscles releasing. "That's amazing, Sabrina," she murmurs.
Homura nods in silent agreement. "Could I have a look at the other Grief Seed?" she asks.
You shrug, and hand over Hildegard's Grief Seed.
Mami, by contrast, is rather more interested in looking you over to make sure you're alright. She walks over to you, and captures you in a tight hug, avoiding the massive wings still hovering behind you. "Now, don't do that again! I- do you know how worried we were when we found out you were the source of the hatching Witch? Even Homura?"
Out of the corner of your eye, you see Homura give the blonde a sour look.
[] Write-in
=====​
You have three hundred and twenty seven Grief marbles in your sling bag, and one Grief Seed in your hand.
Last edited: Sep 9, 2014
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 25
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 9, 2014

- #8,261

You hug Mami back, letting her reassure herself. "I'm sorry for making you worry - for making everyone worry, especially so soon after I promised you, too."
Mami shakes her head against her shoulder, her hair brushing against your face. "It's OK, Sabrina," she says. "It's... I just... I worry."
"I'm sorry," you repeat. "I'm... I'll be more careful when testing my powers in the future."
The blonde pulls back, holding you at arm's length and looking you seriously in the eye. "I'll hold you to that," she says.
"Yeah. I... really don't want anything like this to happen. Having a Witch hatch on top of a hospital..." you trail off with a little shiver. "Uh, on that note- Mami, can I bother you for help sometime? Enchantment, roofhopping, that kind of thing? I'm... not really good at those kind of things."
"Of course, Sabrina," Mami says with a smile. "You don't even need to ask."
"Heh," you chuckle weakly. "Thanks."
Her smile fades, and she pulls you into a hug again, before finally releasing you and stepping back. "I... guess we're done here," she says, looking around at the frozen world. "Homura?"
The time traveller walks out from little structure that conceals the stairwell down to the hospital proper.
"Ah... we're done," Mami says awkwardly.
Homura nods, and puts her hand to her shield. With a crank and the clattering of gears, the timestop ends.
"May I have a cleanse?" Homura asks.
"You don't even need to ask," you say, echoing Mami's earlier words with a grin and a wink at the blonde, who smiles in amusement. Homura nods, and produces her Soul Gem, filmy with corruption. A casual wave of your hand has the Grief floating free into the air, and you compact it into your Grief marbles.
There is somewhat more Grief than what you'd expect of day to day living, and you give Homura a questioning look, which she meets with her usual poker face. "Thank you," she allows as she reforms her Soul Gem ring.
"No problem," you reply. "Mami?"
"Um, sure," she says holding out her own Soul Gem.
You cleanse that, too, before turning your head to look at the wings, still rippling over your shoulders in all their eye-bending glory. "Hm. I need to do something about that." You focus your will on the constituent Grief, bearing down on it and forcing it to collapse. Tiny spheres form within the fabric of the wings, gradually growing larger and agglomerating into your usual marbles of Grief.
By the time you're done, you're orbited by another constellation of marble sized Grief spheres. Mami's looking on with awe as you carefully pack away the spheres in your bag - it's a good thing you can use your powers to lighten the load.
"Well, that's done," you say, looking around at Mami and Homura. "Shall we go?"
Mami nods, untransforming. "I'm sure Madoka must be waiting for us," she says. "Hm... we shouldn't jump off the roof here, people will see us." She suits action to word and walks over to the stairwell instead.
"Oh, by the way, Mami," you say as you follow the blonde, Homura following in turn behind you. "Kyuubey gave the OK for healing everyone, including Hitomi."
"That's great!" Mami says.
"Hmm," you hum noncommittaly. "He also erased Sayaka's parent's memories."
"He w-what?" Mami stammers. "He... m-must have done that to keep magic a secret?"
"That's what he says," you confirm. You can feel Homura's eyes boring into your back, and as you turn the corner down the flight of stairs, you catch her eye and quirk your eyebrows at her.
"I... s-suppose it makes sense," Mami stutters. "Magic should be kept a secret."
"Should it?" Homura asks quietly.
"I... suppose he must have his reasons," Mami says.
"If he has, he's unwilling to share them," Homura says. "I've asked before."
"I..." Mami trails off and bites her lip. "I'm sure they must exist. M-maybe magic would stop working if too many people knew about it?" she laughs weakly.
"Maybe," you say. "In any case, I told him not to do that. Mindwipe Sayaka's parents, I mean."
"Oh... Good thinking," Mami says uneasily. "Um, the lift is this way..." she adds, turning right.
"Sorry," you add belatedly as you wait for the lift. "I... didn't mean to upset you."
"It's OK, Sabrina," she says, moving closer to you. "I-it's OK."
The rest of the walk back to meet up with Madoka is spent in an awkward silence, with Mami wrapped up in her own thoughts and sticking close to you, and Homura... well, being Homura.
Both Mami and Homura perk up, though, when you catch sight of Madoka - Mami putting on a smile with practiced ease, and Homura... well, she straightens up a little, gait shifting subtly. You probably wouldn't have noticed if you weren't looking for something of the sort.
"Hello!" the pinkette calls happily when she sees the three of you, bouncing to her feet. "Did you find... whatever it was?"
"Yes, it was nothing major, in the end," Mami smiles. Homura nods in support of the blonde.
"That's good," Madoka says brightly. "Shall we go see Sayaka?"
"Let's," you agree, taking the lead. You know where they are, anyway.
"So, how was school today?" you ask as you walk.
"Oh, today we had math!" Madoka tells you. "And English."
"Mmm?" you say curiously. Switching to English, and speaking deliberately slowly, you ask, "How did that go?"
"It was, um, good," Madoka says, speech a little stilted, beaming at you nevertheless. "What... do you... think, Homura?"
Homura shrugs. "It was a good lesson," she says with relative fluidity. Still a bit of a stumble on the syllables, though. "How about you, Mami?"
The blonde flashes a smile -perhaps a little strained if you know what you're looking for-, and replies in nearly fluent english. "Today's lessons went well." She shifts back to Japanese and adds, "We didn't have english today, though."
"Your english is really good!" Madoka tells Mami. "You too, Homura!"
"Hey, what about me?" you say playfully.
"Oh, you too, Sabrina!" the pinkette says. "But... you're sort of cheating."
"Ehhhh, don't call it cheating, call it... natural advantages," you smirk back.
Mami shakes her head. "It's cheating. Don't you agree, Homura?"
The time traveller nods. "Cheating."
"Pfff, see if I help you with your homework when you need it," you say, mock angrily.
"No! You monster!" Madoka cries, equally melodramatic, before giving in and beginning to giggle.
Mami and you both start to giggle too, while Homura... smiles, the corners of her mouth tugging up ever so slightly.
The rest of the walk over to visit Sayaka is spent chattering away about little things that happened in school, even Homura injecting a few comments from time to time. You carefully steer the conversation away from anything magic-related, though, for Mami and Madoka's sake.
Eventually, you reach Sayaka's ward room, and, finding the door open, head in. "Hello!" Madoka calls, before looking around the room, pausing and half-bowing to Kenji and Miho, who's now awake. Sayaka's parents are sitting together, huddled over what you'd guess is a rental laptop and presumably discussing their next move. Sayaka's bed is empty.
"Ah, Madoka!" Miho greets with a wan smile.
"Mrs Miki, Mr. Miki," Mami greets in turn with a similar half bow, Homura a belated second behind.
"Ah, you must be Sayaka's school mates," Kenji says. "And... Sabrina, right?"
"Yes," you confirm.
"Sayaka went for a walk," Kenji informs you. "She shouldn't have gone too far, maybe you could go and find her?"
"Ah, OK," Madoka agrees readily, and the four of you troop out of the room again.
Sayaka, as it turns out, is walking around the patient's lounge on the floor, and the bluenette immediately brightens upon seeing you.
"Madoka, Mami!" she calls happily. "Sabrina! ... transfer student." Her face sours as she catches sight of the last member of your party.
"Sayaka..." Madoka says. "Homura came to visit you, too."
"Fine," Sayaka pouts. "Hello, Akemi."
"Miki," Homura says politely.
"Hello, Sayaka," Mami smiles. You gesture at the soft chairs arranged around the lounge, and take one for yourself.
"How are you, Sayaka?" the pinkette asks anxiously. She sits next to Sayaka, directly opposite the small table in the center of this particular arrangement of chairs. Homura, of course, sits next to the pinkette, to your right, and Mami sits on your left.
"I'm fine!" Sayaka says, puffing out her cheeks in indignation. You can't help but raise an eyebrow at that, which she turns her nose up to. You roll your eyes.
"Oh, hey, Sabrina," Sayaka addresses you, seemingly remembering something.
"Mmm?" you look at her inquiringly.
"Did you tell Hitomi about, well, my situation?" Sayaka asks you.
"Um..." you think back. "Yeah, I guess I did?"
"Well, thanks for that," the bluenette says happily, slapping you on the back with some force.
"Uh?" you say eloquently.
"You don't know?" she asks. "Hitomi got in contact with her parents, and they're helping us out."
"Oh," you say. "Um... no, that was entirely Hitomi's doing. I didn't say anything about that to her."
"Oh. Huh." Sayaka blinks. "Well, thank her for me when you see her, would you?"
"Sure!" Madoka says. You nod in agreement.
"It's good to hear you'll be getting help," Mami says.
"Yeah," Sayaka grins.
The five of you chat for a while, before deciding it's about time to go to see Hitomi. Before you go, though...
"Hey, um. Sayaka," you say quietly.
"Yeah?" the bluenette looks at you.
"Um. You know how your parents don't remember?" you ask cautiously.
"Yeah, it's kinda weird," Sayaka nods.
"Kyuubey did it," you tell her bluntly. "He wiped their memories."
Sayaka's face cycles through incomprehension, then shock, then anger. "He what?" she shouts, voice rising. Madoka, beside her, looks utterly dismayed. "That's terrible," the pinkette says.
"Sayaka!" Mami soothes, glancing around at the rest of the lounge - people are looking. "I-I'm sure he had his reasons."
"Yeah? I'd like to hear them," Sayaka snaps. "That's not nice!"
You sigh. "What's done is done. I've told him not to, though - tell me if you even think it happened again. And the same goes for you too, Madoka."
"Y-yeah," Madoka shivers. "H-he really did that?"
You nod, and sigh. "I... I'm sorry I just dropped it on the both of you. But... it's kind of important that you know."
"Um. Thanks, I think," Sayaka says.
An awkward silence falls. "A-anyway," Madoka says eventually. "We should go and see Hitomi now..."
"Oh, one last thing," you say. "Don't worry, this one's happier," you add with a smile. "We're going to tell Hitomi that we can heal her - you want to be there, right?"
Sayaka frowns, thinking about it. "Yeah, I would. Um, I'm supposed to stay around here, though."
"Ah," you say.
"Maybe another time?" Mami offers.
[] Another time
[] Tell Hitomi without Sayaka
[] Go see Hitomi
[] Write in conversational topics with Hitomi
[] Write-in
=====​
You have one thousand and thirty one Grief marbles in your sling bag, and two Grief Seeds in your pockets. Still plenty of room in the bag, by the way, a thousand plus marbles sounds like a lot, but isn't actually, volumetrically.
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 26
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 10, 2014

- #8,311

"Eh," you shrug. "Maybe we can bring them here?"
Mami looks at you doubtfully. "I don't think the nurses would allow that."
"We can try," you say. "Besides, I don't think it'll be too hard. At worst, maybe we'll have to sign a permission slip or something?" You smile confidently, trying to convey a sense of 'this will all work out'.
"Eh, wait!" Sayaka says, looking alarmed. "You mean now?"
"Well, yeah," you say blithely. "The sooner the better, right?"
"Uh," Sayaka says. "You're bringing Hitomi here? To tell her?"
"That's the idea, yes," you nod. "And Kyousuke too."
"E-eh," the bluenette looks around. "Y-yeah, healing him would be great, too." Madoka looks at her worriedly, and then back at you.
"Sabrina, could we go outside a moment?" Mami asks, putting a hand on your shoulder.
"Sure," you say, rising to your feet and letting Mami lead you out of the lounge, just around the corner. There's a few nurses passing by in the corridor, but no one gives the pair of you a second glance.
"Sabrina," Mami begins, giving you a serious look. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's a good thing. But you don't need to fix everything in a day, you know?" She softens the minor rebuke with a smile.
"I..." you temporize.
"And besides..." she says, smile slipping slightly. "I... You just told her about Kyuubey, and..." the blonde chuckles, a forced sound. "I'm still... reeling, a little."
[] Write-in
=====​
Also, [X] Find a Muramasa.
Last edited: Sep 10, 2014
Threadmarks Surface Tension pt. 27
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 10, 2014

- #8,340

You look down at your feet. "You're right, Mami. I'm sorry I tried to rush thin-"
Mami reaches out, placing her fingers under your chin and gently tipping your head back up to face her. "Don't be," she tells you. "You have a good heart, and you're doing the right thing. You just need to pace yourself."
You smile. "Thanks, Mami."
She shakes her head. "As you said to me yesterday, for nothing, Sabrina. I said nothing that wasn't true."
"Thank you, nevertheless," you say. "A-anyway... we'll go back, and tell Sayaka we'll do this on her terms? I mean, Kyousuke is her friend."
"That would be better," Mami approves. "Madoka, too, since Hitomi is her friend, too. We need to all sit down and talk this over properly, before we do anything."
"Hm, OK," you say. "I- I'll defer to your judgement on this, Mami. How do you think we should handle this?"
She smiles a little, looking thoughtful. "Well, you had the right idea. Bring everyone together, and tell them. But as I said, we really need to talk this over with Sayaka and Madoka. And Homura, too." Her smile fades. "I would have asked Kyuubey to help, but I don't- I don't think Sayaka would like that."
Your own mood, bouyed by Mami's praise, plummets, and you grimace. "About that... are you OK? I mean, I know it's a huge shock, and he's your friend... It can't be easy to find out that someone you consider your friend did something like that."
Mami swallows, looking faintly unhappy. "I..." she licks her lips. "I'm sure he must have a very good reason for it. And you told him not to do it, and he agreed, right? Or maybe he just... made a mistake." She forces a laugh. "I mean, it's like anime, right? A little mistake, and then silly antics occur as a result, and then we have a happy ending."
"... yeah," you smile weakly. "I hope so."
She just doesn't know. She just doesn't know.
You sigh. And on that unhappy note... "Bah," you mutter. "There's... one more thing, Mami?"
"Oh?" Mami looks worried, her usual half-lidded gaze a tad sharper than usual.
"Yeah," you rub at your face, reluctant to broach the topic. "I guess... I'm not going to rush it, but, um, you know. I thought I should warn you first. And to be perfectly honest... I'm not sure how to put it properly, either."
Mami gives you a long look, and a wan smile. "I... trust you, Sabrina. Take your time."
"Thanks," you say, smiling gratefully at her.
"Anyway," Mami says. "Shall we go back?"
"... yeah," you agree.
The two of you walk back into the lounge, to find Sayaka glaring at nothing in particular, and Homura look as imperturbable as always. Madoka's gaze is darting between the two anxiously, and she looks hopefully at you when you return.
"... alright, what happened here?" you sigh as you seat yourself back in the squashy armchair, sinking back into its soft embrace.
"She told us not to be magical girls!" Sayaka complains loudly, much to Madoka's dismay, who shushes her urgently.
"I warned her that being a magical girl doesn't have a reward," Homura says implacably.
"Homura!" Mami says sharply.
"I'm not wrong," the black haired girl challenges, violet eyes meeting golden ones without flinching.
"Enough," you snap, cutting across both of them.
Mami blinks, and looks away. "Y-yes. You're right, Sabrina." Homura just nods, similarly breaking off the staring match.
"Ahem," you clear your throat loudly. "Anyway. I'm sorry, Sayaka, Madoka, for rushing things. I... I just wanted to see this done quickly, you know? But they're your friends, first and foremost, I shouldn't have presumed."
"It's OK," Madoka says. "I- I think it's great that you want to help."
"Yeah," Sayaka nods, still darting little glares at Homura. "Just... gimme some time to... y'know, get used to the idea."
"Mmmm," you say. "Then... when you think it's a good time?" Out of the corner of your eye, you see Mami give you an approving nod.
"Yeah," Sayaka says. "... thanks. A lot."
You shake your head. "I've done nothing yet."
"Still, it's the thought, right?" Sayaka says.
You shrug. It feels like you haven't done anything. You glance at the clock - it's getting later, and you'll probably have to cut short the visit to Hitomi, if you go at all.
[] Visit Hitomi
- [] Conversational topics
[] Don't visit Hitomi
- [] Go for dinner
[] Write-in
=====​
Nothing much t' say, this time.
Threadmarks
Apocrypha
Informational
Staff Post
View content
You must log in or register to reply here.

### Similar threads

Lost In Time - A PMMM Quest

- Box10001
- Dec 2, 2023
- Words: 1.6k

1 2
pmmm puella magi madoka magica

Replies
  49

Views
  905

Dec 31, 2023
Box10001
「 」 in Wonderland (PMMM)

- DeclanDSI
- Dec 26, 2023
- Words: 380

1 2
pmmm magical girls open voting

Replies
  28

Views
  395

Jan 2, 2024
SoulDiver
Incubator Quest [PMMM Quest]

- Azur Reality
- Oct 4, 2023
- Words: 6.9k

1 2 3 4
pmmm puella magi madoka magica kyubey

Replies
  98

Views
  2K

Dec 18, 2023
Solarstream
You decide your Destiny [A PMMM Quest]

- Azur Reality
- Dec 13, 2023
- Words: 1.7k

pmmm female protagonist kyubey

Replies
  9

Views
  159

Dec 14, 2023
Eternal_0bserver
Shadows of the mind [PMMM Quest]

- Azur Reality
- Sep 18, 2023
- Words: 11k

1 ... 4 5 6
pmmm puella magi madoka magica magical girls female protagonist another pmmm quest

Replies
  127

Views
  3K

Dec 26, 2023
DeclanDSI
Back
Top