- 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 Anomalous Materials pt. 26
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jun 12, 2016

- #89,939

You smile at Homura. "Thank you," you say, after a short-lived debate with yourself about whether to respond in German.
Or Witch runes, but she'd definitely take that badly. As opposed to German, which would probably get you a confused look.
You skim the treetops close enough to ruffle the leaves as they brush against the bottom of your MOF, brief verdant green blooming and fading in your wake. You stretch your senses out, feeling for any magical girls.
"So," you say, idly knotting the string tying you to Homura around your wrist. "Mami's power is based around connections, right?"
Homura glances questioningly at you.
"Well..." you say, taking the lack of contradiction as agreement, or at least acknowledgement of your point. "I've noticed that I coordinate really well with her, despite having little to no practice together."
Homura's questioning gaze intensifies somehow. Not exactly a gaze, but you can all but hear the unspoken 'go on'.
Heh.
You're getting better at understanding Homura-ese.
"I reckon team and coordination practice could help our group improve very quickly, especially with Mami's help," you continue. "What do you think?"
Homura's brow furrows. "There's a... magical element to you and Mami working well together?"
"I don't really know," you clarify as you come to a halt over the park. It's not a large one, and you've already made a full circuit. "I'm just thinking that it might be. Uh. No magical girls at this park, by the way."
"You think that magic is the reason you and Mami work so well together?" Maybe you're imagining it, but there's the slightest trace of amusement in Homura's voice as she answers you. "The shopping center, then the library."
"Right, I know where the shopping center is," you say, vectoring the MOF in the general direction of said building. You'd been there shopping before with Mami and the others, of course. "And as I said, maybe?"
"You can see magic," Homura points out, quirking an eyebrow ever so slightly.
"... this is true," you admit.
Well, she's got you there. You don't see magic apart from the obvious when you're fighting with Mami. You purse your lips, rallying to add, "But it could be an internal thing for Mami?"
"Not as far as I know," Homura says, second eyebrow joining the first.
You snort. "Fine, fine," you say. "Point stands, though, team practices?"
"I know how to work with Mami. But they could be helpful," Homura allows.
"But not Sayaka, and the two of us haven't fought together that much," you say, glancing at the enormous shopping mall looming up ahead, all graceful, swooping curves and painted concrete.
Homura shrugs. "It could be useful," she repeats.
"So you'll go along with it?" you ask, guiding your MOF to make a perimeter loop of the shopping center. It's big enough that you'll have to make a circle around it, and then crisscross the roof a few times to make sure you've scanned the entire building.
She nods.
You beam at Homura. "Thanks," you say.
"It helps me, too," she says, violet eyes going distant for a moment.
"Speaking of helping," you say, swerving smoothly around a corner. "You know, we can move at... I'm pretty sure supersonic speeds with this thing." You tap the floor of the MOF that you're sitting on. "If there's any... equipment that you think could be useful for Walpurgisnacht, I'd be more than happy to go on international shopping trips, as it were."
Homura blinks, eyes widening a fraction - you don't think she'd actually considered that thought before. "I would have to do some research," she says. "But that sounds like a good idea."
You beam at her. "Great," you say. "Shopping~"
"As it is," she says. "I'm heading to Yokosuka Naval Base, this weekend or next week."
"Yokosuka Naval Base..." you purse your lips, considering which weapons Homura might be significant pause shopping for. "Harpoons? And Type 88s?"
She nods, unsurprised at your knowledge. "As well as mortars, mines, and guns."
"Hmm... how do you get there, anyway?" you say, directing your MOF to finish the loop and start crisscrossing the roof of the building.
"I ask Tachibana for a lift," Homura says, amethyst eyes flicking up to yours. "Usually."
You can take a hint. "Let me know when you're going, and I'll see?"
Homura nods again.
"Great," you say, beaming. "Also, so-"
You break off, frowning.
Homura stiffens, her expression sharpening to attention. "What is it?"
"Potential," you say, pointing almost directly down. You can feel the ephemeral shade of Grief down in the shopping center. "Do you think it's her?"
"It might be," Homura says, considering. "Are you sure it's a potential magical girl?"
"I think so," you say.
"Then we should check," she says, eyes narrowing. "Any girl our age should be in school right now."
"Mmm," you agree, the MOF drifting down to land on the roof of the building, amongst the dense maze of air conditioning ducts and vents. You dissolve it just a few centimeters above the concrete, dropping lightly to the rooftop with a rustle of cloth.
Homura lands behind you. "This way," she says, starting for a staircase, just visible around the corner of an air conditioner. The click-click of her heels on concrete is swallowed by the endless, muffling silence of the timestop.
You amble in her wake, combing your wind-ruffled hair back into shape with your fingers. Absently, you collect all the loose Grief back into the usual spheres of Grief, clustering them tight to pull them after you.
Which reminds you of something else you've been meaning to ask Homura. Heh. You don't really get much opportunity to talk to her alone like this, do you? "Say, Homura," you say. "Would you mind spotting for me for some experiments with Grief sometime?"
"No?" she says, slowing to let you pass her.
"Right, it..." you say, taking the lead. You thread the thin crowd carefully, trying to home in on the potential. "So... I control Grief. But what I don't know is what happens when I stop controlling it. Small bits just disperse. Larger quantities... kind of try to clump together."
"You want to know what happens then," Homura says.
"Yep," you agree. "I... don't know, it seems important to find out. I know exactly what Grief does under my control, but outside it... yeah."
"Agreed," Homura says, brow furrowing. "When do you want to do it?"
"I'll get back to you," you say. "And... again, thanks, Homura."
She shakes her head. "Find some time soon," she suggests, amethyst eyes intent on you.
"Right. I'll let you know," you agree. "Hey, on the subject of time..." You raise the string tied around your wrist, along with a questioning eyebrow.
Homura frowns. "Try it later," she says. "We're looking for Sasa Yuuki now."
"Ah," you say. "Right."
Conversation lapses for a few minutes as you wind your way through the sparse crowds - mostly middle-aged women, a few men and young children here and there. You home in on that potential, casually hopping over a railing and dropping to the floor below rather than risk the elevator, which...
Actually, you have no idea if the elevator would reanimate.
"That's her," Homura murmurs.
It is, you recognise with a jolt. Turquoise blue eyes stare out from under an overhanging fringe, a bob cut that would be brown if it weren't for the timestop. She's dressed in a white blouse, with a fluffy skirt that you privately think doesn't suit her at all.
She glares at the world, hidden behind the curtain of her fringe. The timestop froze a sullen twist to her lips, capturing her as she skulked about in the lee of an indoor fountain with her hands sunk deep in her pockets.
She's not a puella magi.
[] Write-in
=====​
I've mentioned it before, but since major Mitakihara landmarks are based on real world ones; the Mitakihara shopping center is based on Vivocity.
Last edited: Jun 12, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 27
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jun 18, 2016

- #90,580

"Bah," you grumble, pursing your lips.
"She's not a magical girl," Homura says, pointing out the obvious. Her eyes seem tired, but something in the set of her shoulders suggests relief.
"Nope," you agree, lips twisting. "Ah, well. It was a long shot, anyway. I... Hm." You scratch at your head, eyeing Sasa Yuuki's frozen scowl for a long moment.
Homura exhales softly, a quiet huff just enough to draw your attention.
You raise your eyebrows at her, and she flicks her gaze over to the frozen girl - the one you've come all this way to find.
"I know, I know," you say, clutching at your head in annoyance. "I mean, it's good that she's not contracted, but it'd have made for a nice, easy explanation if she'd been behind the thing with Sayaka and Maria, you know?"
"Maria?" Homura asks, frowning. "The... Witch?"
"Yeah, I mentioned the name last time, right?" you ask.
"You did," Homura agrees, continuing to regard Sasa.
"Ugh," you grunt, coming to a decision after vacillating between dropping the timestop to talk to her and not. Ultimately, Mami's more important, you decide - you'd promised her you'd be right back in the way only Homura's magic can make literal. "Yeah, we won't be talking to her now."
"Now?" Homura asks, eyes sharp.
"Yeah," you agree. "I... well, I promised Mami I'd be back, so..." You shrug. "I think Sasa needs someone to talk to her, though. Persuade her not to become a magical girl and stuff... probably right after lunch is actually over. I'll let you know."
"Of course," Homura says.
You give her a suspicious look. "'Of course?'"
She shrugs, the corner of her mouth making the very slightest of twitches upwards. "You're predictable."
You open your mouth to protest.
And then close it again with a click.
"... I suppose I am," you concede.
Homura shrugs, turning to head back to the exit. "Back to school."
"Ah..." you say, following her as you make your way carefully through the sparse crowds. "Actually, what do you think about checking for that Kuroki girl? Since we're all the way out here already?"
The time traveller's arm twitches a little - her left arm, her shield arm.
Her Soul Gem.
"Fine," she says, a moment later. "You'll cleanse me later?"
"Of course, Homura," you say, taking a quick few steps forward to touch her on the shoulder. "Hey. I promised, Homura - always."
She nods. "I know," she says, looking away, that faint smile gone. "I don't pay much attention to her," she says, frowning. "She might be in this shopping centre; have you finished checking it?"
"Pretty much," you agree. "I've scanned it quite thoroughly."
"Downtown, then," Homura murmurs.
"Downtown it is, then," you say, smiling at Homura as you head for the stairs. "You know, it's probably a good thing Sasa isn't contracted. I mean, she looks like a bloody banana peel in her costume."
Homura blinks slowly at the sudden change in direction of the conversation, her forehead creasing. "Banana peel?"
"... well, yes," you say, rubbing sheepishly at your nose. "I mean. You know what it looks like, right? Yellow and brown and kinda, you know..." you gesture vaguely in the shape of the girl's giant harlequin hat thing.
"I... suppose so?" Homura says, that crease between her eyebrows deepening in what's probably perplexity.
"Yep," you say, grinning at Homura as you bump the door to the stairs open and take them two at a time. "I'm just kidding, Homura. But really, that abomination that is her puella magi costume is ugly, don't you think?"
"It... is, yes," Homura agrees, following you up the stairs.
"Mmmmhm," you say as you step out onto the roof. You breathe deep - the timestop has this rather unpleasant side effect of making the air rather stuffy. A wave of your hand reforms your MOF, and you step on before offering your hand to Homura with a grand, sweeping gesture.
She raises an eyebrow, but accepts said hand to step on.
You find yourself musing about Sasa and her banana peel costume as you lift the MOF into the air, vectoring it in the direction Homura indicated. Heh. "Banana," you say in English. It's really a rather silly word, if you think about it. "Banananananana."
...
You can feel Homura's perplexed look on the back of your head.
"So, anyway," you say without turning to face Homura and raising your voice a little. "Where to next?"
"There," she says, lifting her hand to point. "You realise I don't have a very good idea of where she might be? She's not... important, and I never bothered to track her much."
"Meguca are for saving," you say, smiling at Homura.
"See above, regarding predictable," she says, shaking her head. She glances out at the time frozen landscape, sighing and leaning forward.
"Say, if you don't mind my asking, what does happen to elevators when you touch them in timestop?" you say, not one to let the conversation die.
Homura grimaces. "Nothing good," she responds. "The people on the elevator don't get pulled in."
You wince. "... Ouch," you say. "That's... Uh. Yeah, ouch."
She shrugs. "I don't do it," she says simply.
"Right," you say, exhaling heavily. "Gotcha."
Homura sighs, looking around the cityscape. "Somewhere in this area," Homura says.
You look around, find yourself in the eastern part of the central business district of Mitakihara. You're not terribly familiar with the location, but you've been here before. Or at least, flown by - you can see that big Development Bank of Japan spire off in the distance. You set the MOF zipping across the area, skimming just above the roads and winding around the lamp posts.
Your mind drifts, wandering back to thoughts of Mami as you stretch your senses out, scanning and scanning for any magical girls or potentials. At this time of the day, though... there aren't many teenagers out of school, and you don't even see any potentials around the area.
You scrub at your face, cheeks warm under your fingers. Mami recruited a fair few puella magi herself, didn't she?
Then again, Kyuubey probably shepherded them to her, or at least pointed her in their direction.
Feh.
"Hm... Homura," you say, sobering. "Can you tell me about powerful meguca who'll be good to have on board against Walpurgisnacht? No, wait-" you raise your finger. "I don't just mean more bodies to throw at it. I'm sure that's helpful - but can you think of meguca who can truly contribute, won't get in each other's way, and have a decent chance of not dying?"
You close your eyes, taking a breath, and open them again, smiling at Homura. You try to put as much reassurance, as much confidence in the expression as you can. "Give me names, locations, and I'll do the rest. Even the ones that might be harder to persuade - I have... a better chance."
Homura nods, violet eyes clear and sharp. "Good idea," she agrees. She purses her lips for a moment, looking out over the cityscape whizzing past as she thinks. "Tanaka Tamiko from Sendai. You've met her. She has very strong forcefields."
"Right," you say. "I can probably get Rin as well... and that probably means Sakura's coming along."
"It would have been... good to have Hamasaki," Homura says, frowning. "It doesn't matter. The ones from Fukushima: Akiyama, Koizumi and Nishimura. Taniguchi Emi from North Tokyo, she's a..." She trails off, pursing her lips.
"Homura?" you prompt, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Do you know... the Touhou games?" she says, slowly and hesitantly.
"... yes?" you say, second eyebrow joining the first.
"Taniguchi likes to pretend to be Yakumo Yukari," Homura explains, still hesitant. "Her powers are... not dissimilar. Within reason."
"... what, really?" you say, frowning in perplexity. A conceptual power over 'boundaries' - or at least, that's what the game character has. You rather doubt that the girl has enough power to control, for example, the boundary between life and death, but that's an interesting entity to style oneself after. "Does she have a Ran?"
"No," Homura says. She pauses for a while, obviously considering. "Sono Mako, Utsugi Karina, from Kagoshima. How far are you willing to travel?"
That's all the way to the southern tip of Japan, you recognise. On Kyushu island.
You sigh as you draw to the end of the grid search. It doesn't look like there's anything of interest in the here and now - not even any Witches in this area. You sort of doubt you're going to find Kuroki here.
Homura's still waiting for an answer, too.
[] Write-in
=====​
If the next vote brings you back to lunch, write-in the next event after that, too.
Last edited: Jun 19, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 28
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jun 22, 2016

- #90,942

"As far as I need to," you answer without hesitation. "Probably anywhere in Japan at least... and further, if I have to." You pause, and smile at your friend. "Homura, I mean it. This is going to be the last loop. We'll pull out every stop."
She doesn't meet your eyes, a wry twist to her mouth as she looks away. "I know."
"Good," you say. "I... look, depending on who you want to pull in, and if you're willing to help with timestop, I think that we can get pretty much anywhere on this planet, within a day or two at most."
Homura nods, frowning. "I... I haven't encountered many magical girls from outside Japan," she says.
"Mmm," you agree. "Makes sense, but... if there's anyone you've heard of...?"
She shrugs. "I'll try and remember any... meguca from outside Japan."
You grin at her, inordinately pleased at her adopting the word from you. It's a nonsense word, really, but it's amusing to you, and, well, it's kind of nice that she's trying.
"Anyway," you say, swerving the MOF into a hairpin turn. "Let's head back to school. I'll do some research on Kuro... oooo." Your eyes widen as an idea strikes you.
"Sabrina?" Homura eyes you.
"No, no," you say, waving your hand. "I just realised. Since I know her name, I can probably search her up online. Or in the telephone directory. Or something. But the point I was going to make is, I don't have any real leads now, even if I can take a crack at it later."
"Ah," Homura says, frowning in thought. "Yes."
"But yeah. Thanks, Homura," you say, smiling at her. "For coming along with me."
She nods.
The lifeless hues of the frozen city zip by as you direct the MOF back towards school, turning contemplative. You've had enough serious conversation with Homura for this timestop, you think, and you've left enough promises and unresolved threads for a while.
You exhale a little shakily. A lot of that going around, really, all from you. As you said to Homura, meguca are for saving.
But whether you can save them... that's a different story.
You bring your hands to your face, covering it with your palms for a long, long moment as you breathe.
Homura touches your shoulder.
You take a shuddering breath, and lower your hands to find that Homura's shuffled over to kneel beside you. "I'm OK," you say, dismissing your worries to smile at your friend.
The doubts are always there.
It doesn't mean you have to pay them any attention, though.
Homura nods, her expression blank and unreadable.
You head back to Mitakihara Middle School, skimming over the fence and dismissing the MOF a meter or two above the rooftop. You drop lightly to the roof, the loose Grief already consolidating back into spheres to join the perpetual cloud of Grief always following you around.
You smile at Homura as you detransform, carefully checking the sling bag at your side as you walk around the corner of the staircase. You take a moment to comb your wind ruffled hair back into some semblance of neatness as Homura follows you, waiting patiently until you're ready.
You wiggle your fingers at her in a vaguely mystical gesture, quirking an eyebrow.
She nods, raising her hand to display her shield and Soul Gem to you.
With a thought, you draw of the patina of Grief frothing just below the surface, a wispy banner drifting through the air before you crush it into a sphere and send it off to join the rest. "There you are," you murmur.
"Thank you," Homura says, nodding.
"Hey, I promised, right?" you say, smiling at her. "Anyway... shall we?" You gesture back at your friends.
She nods, and cranks her shield across with the familiar hum of gears.
Noise and colour and life floods in, the hum of cars on the road and chatter of schoolchildren down below. You suck in a lungful of clean, fresh air, a sharp contrast from the stuffy, stagnant air of the timestop.
Undoing the string and settling your sling bag at your side, you walk back around the corner, bright smile on your face. Mami beams up at you, some tension easing out of her shoulders as you walk over and sit by her side. You slide your arm behind her and pull her into a warm hug.
You release the hug a moment later and smile around at your friends, Mami tucking her head onto your shoulder. "Hey, guys, hope we didn't keep you waiting?" you offer.
Sayaka rolls her eyes. "You talked for like ten seconds, Sabrina," she says. "Waiting, what waiting?"
"Ah, right," you say, rubbing your nose sheepishly. "Felt longer."
Sayaka regards you with a raised eyebrow, as if to say 'really?'. Madoka, on the other hand, just beams at Homura and you, kicking her legs a little. "Welcome back, Homura, Sabrina!"
"Indeed, welcome back," Hitomi says, nodding at you, then Homura as she tucks away her empty lunchbox.
"So," you say, rubbing your hands together. "Not too much time left for lunch, right?" At the affirming nods, you continue, smiling. "But before you guys have to go - picnic! Picnic tomorrow. Final confirmation, everyone's good for it, right? Hitomi?"
She nods, green locks swaying. "My parents have agreed that I can go," she confirms.
"I can go!" Madoka says, returning your smile.
"Ditto," Sayaka agrees.
"I will be going," Homura agrees, drawing a narrow-eyed look of surprise from Sayaka.
"Excellent," you say. "And Mami and I will be there of course. I mean, we're organising."
"And cooking," Mami says, tilting her head a little to beam up at you.
"Oooh," Sayaka says, eyes brightening. "Will there be cake?"
"There will!" Mami says. "We'll bake one fresh, right, Sabrina?"
"Yep, though - speaking of fresh, we're doing the picnic in the evening, yes? Four o'clock or so?" you ask.
"Four thirty," Madoka suggests. "It won't be as hot."
"Four thirty sounds better," Hitomi agrees. "Where are we going, actually?"
"Right, good," you say. Which means, with Miss Bennouna slotted in for the day after, plenty of time. "Four thirty. And uh..."
"The big park on the south side?" Sayaka suggests.
Hitomi's brow wrinkles in thought. "Gokai park?" she asks after a moment. "It's quite nice, and there's a teahouse in there, too."
"That's the one!" Sayaka says, snapping her fingers.
"I know where it is," Mami says, nodding.
"Mmmh!" Madoka agrees, rocking back and forth in her seat.
"Sounds good," you agree. "We'll go there, then?"
"I have no objections," Homura murmurs.
You glance around at the rest of your friends, meeting smiles and shrugs. "Alright. Settled, then! Next thing is... Sayaka, we need to get you started on training."
She grins. "I thought we already did," she says.
You wave your hand. "More training, then," you amend with a roll of your eyes. "And the Witch hunt we promised."
"Ooooh," the bluenette says, bouncing on her seat. "Now that's more like it. After school today, right?"
"Sayaka, weren't you visiting Kyousuke today?" Madoka asks.
Sayaka gives her a betrayed look. "Well. I mean... I could visit Kyousuke after that? And how did you know, anyway?"
"... really, Sayaka?" you ask. "I mean. Really, Sayaka?"
She blushes, glancing away.
"After school, then," you say. "If we're OK with that, Mami? Homura? You're sure you won't come?"
"That sounds good," Mami agrees.
Homura's eyes flicker over to you. "I will likely be busy," she says.
"Right, sorry," you say. She does have an errand to run - but she'll be running that mostly under timestop. You rather suspect she just wants to keep an eye on Madoka instead. "Uh, sorry to be rushing through all this stuff right now, but I wanted to get it squared away before I forgot or something again."
"It's fine," Hitomi says, favouring you with an amused smile.
"It is!" Madoka agrees, nodding vigorously. "You have a lot to on your mind, I'm sure."
"Ah, well, it comes with the territory," you say, waving a dismissive hand. "'sides, I've got all my friends to help me relax, right?" You tighten your hug around Mami's waist for emphasis.
"Right!" Mami agrees, beaming.
Madoka nods again. "Right!" she echoes. Her eyes flick over to the clock mounted on the wall. "Ah... We shou-"
The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch and time for students to gather.
"-go," Madoka finishes with a sheepish smile.
"Mmm," you agree, standing. "See you all!"
Mami hops to her feet, lunchbox hanging loosely at her side. You smile at her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll see you after school," you promise, smiling.
"Alright," she says, wrapping her arms around you for a moment, before pulling away, expression flickering. The rest of your friends have already made themselves scarce. "I need to go."
"Yeah," you say. "Later, Mami."
She nods, smiling, before walking towards the stairwell with a backward glance.
You smile right back, warm and encouraging as she disappears out of sight. She picks up the pace, hurrying back to class.
Well.
Back to work, then.
You take to the air on wings of corruption, longcoat flapping behind you as you soar through the air. This time, you know exactly where you're going, making a beeline straight for the shopping center.
You drop straight to the roof, flaring your wings once to soften the landing before dismissing them to join the rest of your Grief. You detransform, stretching your senses out to find Sasa - not that she's particularly hard to find. She's still at the same place she was last, still sulking near the indoor fountain.
You stop just out of sight of her, contemplating how best to approach her.
[] Write-in
=====​
And here's Sasa.
Last edited: Jun 22, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 29
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jun 25, 2016

- #91,154

Showtime.
Well, not really showtime. You're not putting on a show. You're just going to be yourself, really.
Meguca are for saving, after all.
... even if they're not meguca. Like Sayaka wasn't and Sasa isn't.
Yet?
No, no yet. Meguca are for saving, even if they're not meguca.
Right.
You smile to yourself, turning the corner. The crowds are sparse enough that you spot Sasa easily, still skulking about near the fountain. And she really is skulking, hands planted firmly in the pockets of her dress and scowl practically etched in place.
You know her, too: a her from another time. A girl with a vicious, festering hatred of everyone better than her, and an inferiority complex to suit. She made a Wish to control those she saw as better than her, and in her eyes, that was... nearly everyone. Witches, too.
Ultimately, she fell to Oriko and Kirika. Defeated, and when she learned what Witches were... she broke her own Soul Gem.
She spots you coming first, scowl flickering to annoyance, and then suspicion as you don't break step. Her eyes dart to the sides, left, then right, as if checking for other people.
"Hi!" you say brightly, raising one hand in a brief wave.
"I don't know," she says, brusque and unfriendly as she brushes past you.
"Hm?" you ask, turning to follow her as she tries to stalk away.
"I don't know where the toilet or information counter or whatever is," she shoots over her shoulder, still walking away.
You have longer legs than her, and it isn't even an effort to keep up with her.
"I'm not looking for anything," you say.
"Great!" Sasa says, rounding on you. "Then what do you want?"
"Well..." you say. "Are you skipping school?"
She scowls at you, and spins to start walking away again.
"Hey, I didn't mean it that way," you say, longer strides letting you catch up. "I just mean... aren't you worried people will give you a hard time? I mean, I've walked my friend to school before, and the teacher there just glared at me. And all I did was stand there!"
"Good for you," Sasa snaps. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Yeah, well," you say. "Bloody truancy officers are relentless."
"Then shouldn't you be in school where you won't get disturbed by them, like a good little girl?" she snaps, dislike radiating from the taut lines of her body.
"Oh, I don't go to school, actually," you point out.
"Then go back to your own country and stop bothering me," she hisses, eyes narrowed and furious.
"Well," you say. "I live here, I just don't go to school. I'm kind of new to town, but I do live here. I don't sound like a foreigner, do I?"
The scowl on her face flickers uncertainly for a moment, before she turns away, resolutely marching away from you. You're drawing looks from the few shoppers wandering through the shopping center - you do make quite the pair. A short, Japanese girl apparently having a walking argument with a white haired, Caucasian girl, both of an age where you'd ostensibly be in school right now.
You persist, keeping pace with her and tucking a stray lock of hair away. You briefly wish you had nice, long hair like Homura's. Maybe a good hairflip would stop her in her tracks. "I'm Sabrina," you say. "May I know your name?"
"Why are you even bothering me?" she snaps, rounding on you.
"Well," you say. "Honestly? You seem kind of down. Had a rough day?"
"I don't need your pity," she hisses, sullen, vicious fury flashing across her face. "I don't need a sanctimonious, meddling foreigner to be all concerned for me."
[] Write-in
=====​
Kept this one short because, well, there isn't too much to write here.
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 30
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jul 1, 2016

- #91,814

"Well, first of all?" you say, raising a finger. "I'm not actually a foreigner. Kind of." You pause. "Look, it's complicated. I mean, I speak flawless Japanese, no? And I'm not pitying you. Nor do I think you need concern."
Sasa - actually, come to think of it, Sasa's her surname. Yuuki glares at you. "Then stop bothering me."
She's the second Yuuki you've met, technically, after that Inoue Yuuki in Ishinomaki. The one that Homura got her hacking instructions from.
You sigh, rubbing your nose. "Look, really... I was curious," you say. You're... not lying. It's kind of a stretch, but you're not lying. You are mildly curious, at least. "I didn't really expect to see someone else skipping school-"
Yuuki pounces, a glint in her eyes. "So you are skipping school."
"Uh?" You blink at her. "Uh. No, I'm not. Look, it's a long story, but I'm not enrolled in any schools here, so I'm not skipping school, I don't have a school to go to."
"Too good for school?" she snaps.
"No, not really," you say. "I was just never registered."
She snorts. "What, you're here illegally?"
"It's a long story," you repeat patiently. She's... not technically wrong, probably? You don't strictly have a legal presence, unless maybe you do and you just don't remember. Or maybe Kyuubey decided to be helpful and cover your tracks, which is unlikely but not implausible?
Yuuki sniffs, scowling at you.
"Yo, Sabrina," Kyouko's voice drawls inside your head.
Agh. Bad timing, Kyouko.
"Hey, Kyouko," you respond to Kyouko as you sigh, running your hands through your hair. "Not exactly the best time, what's up?"
Looking around, you find that you've... chased Yuuki nearly to the exit of the mall - you can feel the hot air from outside blowing in through the open doors. "OK, honestly, I happen to like meeting and hanging out with people," you say, trying a friendly smile for Yuuki.
"Right, right," Kyouko responds. "Works too. Was gonna tell you, gonna be late for lunch 'less you wanna hunt a Witch."
Her tone is... almost conciliatory. Which is kind of interesting.
"Good for you," Yuuki snaps, still scowling. "You can go and hang out with someone other than me."
"I... OK, look," you say. Does Kyouko want something from you? She'd have mentioned it if she did, right? "Can I buy you ice cream as an apology? I kind of feel like the both of us have gotten off on the wrong foot here - I happen to know a place, and it's my treat if you're OK with that."
Simultaneously, you respond to Kyouko. "Uh, give me a moment, I'll get back to you?"
Yuuki's face twists into a confused, suspicious mask. "Why?" She almost manages to hide the sound of her stomach growling.
"Yeah yeah, it ain't goin' anywhere," Kyouko grumbles. "Yuma 'n I can wait a coupla minutes."
"An apology," you say, not reacting to that. "I want to start us off again on an even footing."
"No," she snaps, turning and stalking out of the shopping centre and into the midday sun. "I don't want anything to do with you. Go away, go back to your 'complicated' life that has nothing to do with mine."
You stare after her as she practically stomps away, brown hair bobbing with every disgruntled step.
[] Write-in
=====​
It's about twenty minutes past lunch, by the by.
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 31
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jul 5, 2016

- #92,290

You close your eyes, swallowing as you debate with yourself.
She's worth saving.
Everybody, magical girl or not, is worth saving. There's no one who's beyond saving.
But sometimes...
Sometimes you need to let go.
You don't want to. It goes against the grain for you to...
You're not giving up.
Yuuki doesn't want to be helped. She doesn't want to be helped now, even though you saw a sliver of interest you could maybe exploit. She's told you to leave her alone five times in barely ten minutes, and you've chased her halfway across a not-exactly-small shopping centre.
It's... you have better things to do. You need to go and see what Kyouko wants - and she does want something, and maybe you could go and see about Kuroki if you had time.
You're not giving up... not exactly. The best you'd get from Yuuki is grudging acceptance, in any case, and... there's always another time.
You sigh. "I'll be there soon," you tell Kyouko.
"Cool," she responds. "Same park as last time, since I don't reckon you know Kasamino. We'll wait."
You take a few quick steps forward, following Yuuko. 'You match the profile. You don't know it yet, but you're going to be important in the future.'
The words are all but on the tip of your tongue.
But what you do instead is to apologise.
"Hey," you call. "Look, I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Good!" she snaps over her shoulder at you.
"I... flag me down for ice cream if you see me next time, alright?" you say.
Oh, you could pull the mysterious act. You could pull it off flawlessly. Hell, you could drop her full name on her, walk down an alley, and just vanish. You've got about three or four ways to accomplish it, and that's just off the top of your head.
You're also pretty sure it'd backfire spectacularly if... when... if Kyuubey comes sniffing around.
She barely deigns to give you a look before marching off.
You watch her go for a minute, the brown haired girl throwing her surly scowl against the world as she stomps away.
You sigh, running your fingers through the thick, neatly combed mass of your hair. Enough of that, enough of Yuuki, for now. Now you're going to see your redheaded friend and her adorable, adopted little sister.
Your footsteps turn down an alleyway, and a casual transformation later, you leap up to the roof. You're getting better at that, arcing from wall to wall. You're still not exactly graceful in the way Mami is, but you get the job done without shattering brick and concrete.
Cresting the roof, you land smoothly, stretching your hands out and twisting from side to side, wings already blooming behind your back. Another powerful leap, and you soar into the clear blue sky, trailed by a few wisps of Grief hurrying to join the fractal edges of your wings.
A warm thermal draws you upwards in a lazy spiral. You really don't have to bother with anything as plebian as aerodynamics, not when you can move with perfect impulse in three-dimensional space with your Grief manipulation, but eh... It's comfortable this way. In the distance, you can see the black tarmac runway of the airport off to the North, the air visibly shimmering even from this distance.
You tuck your wings in and roll east towards the gleaming expanse of the river. Which reminds you, you're not really sure if it's the Mitakihara river or Kasamino river. Or possibly something else, with a name that has nothing to do with the twin cities. The white V of a boat's streaks across the river - probably some privately owned one out on a pleasure trip.
You could go back to Mitakihara mall again, without much issue. Since... well, Homura said she tended to hang out there, and you did find her there. You'll probably run into her again.
Yeah, that works.
Long, thundering wingbeats carry you across the river, Kasamino unfurling beneath you as you cut through the skies. You kind of have to wonder a little about Kyouko wanting to meet with you, and her asking about hunting a Witch with you.
She could simply be attempting to minimise risk to herself and Yuma. That'd be a smart thing to do. But then again, she was perfectly willing to hunt a Witch with Yuma that time before. Hm. And of course, you had already arranged a meeting with her for lunch. She could just have wanted to be polite.
Yeah, and if you bought that, you've got a bridge to sell yourself - that bridge between Mitakihara and Kasamino, the perfect investment for an enterprising young woman like yourself. Hell, you don't even know what it's called and you'd buy it from yourself like you bought that story and...
Hm...
You seem to have tied your brain into a linguistic knot and lost track of the point you were trying to make to yourself somewhere there, which, right, is that Kyouko's probably wanting something. You'd like to think that it's because she considers you enough of a friend now to be willing to ask.
"Hi, Sabrina!" Yuma's voice rings inside your head.
You look down to spot a tiny blob of green, waving frantically at you from far below. At Yuma's side is a more considerable blob of red, head craned back to look at you.
You smile. "Is the park clear?"
"Same as last time," Kyouko drawls.
"Cool," you drawl right back. You fold your wings behind your back and-
-drop.
The wind screams through your hair, mixing with the booming crack of heavy leather as your coat snaps at the air. Grass and trees and bushes and that tiny pond over there loom large, approaching with terrifying speed.
You whoop in exhilaration, wings flaring wide for a second. You jolt to a halt amidst massive a downdraft that sends leaves and fallen flowers billowing in a huge cloud, before finally dropping lightly to your feet. Twigs and leaves patter down from the tree branches, swaying and rippling with the draft.
Yuma drops her arm from her face, grinning at you. "Hi, Sabrina!" she says, bouncing on her toes. She's dressed in the same pinkish-purple hoodie as last time, with a nice, sturdy pair of jeans.
Kyouko gives you a half-hearted glare, combing her windswept mane with her free hand. "Was that necessary?"
You shrug, starting to dissolve your wings. "No, but it was cool, wasn't it?"
"It was so cool!" Yuma agrees, beaming.
Kyouko scowls. "And if I say anything," she says, giving you a baleful glare. "Yuma's just going to call me tsundere. Aren't you, Yuma?"
The little girl turns huge, soulful eyes up at her adopted older sister, blinking in a particularly innocent way.
"Yeah, thought so," Kyouko grumbles, rubbing her forehead. "'nyway. This way, then." She turns away, tugging Yuma's hand.
"So... Witch hunt, right?" you ask. Despite Kyouko's easy air of amiability, her shoulders are taut with tension as she walks down the streets.
"Yep," she drawls.
"Mmm," you agree. You can feel the Grief Seed in her pocket, the one you'd given her. Jane. It's all but full, throbbing on your senses, and you can feel the state of her Soul Gem - maybe a third full. More than a third, at a guess, edging towards half. Yuma's is in much better condition.
Kyouko ambles down the streets, and you follow for now as you head north.
The Barrier comes into your senses long before you see it, a malevolent pressure against your mind in a way you can't describe. "I sense it," you murmur.
Kyouko grunts. "Handy, that," she says. "You lead, then."
"Sure," you say, taking a quick few steps forward, leading the way to what turns out to be the side of a cake shop. On the wall glows the Barrier entrance, a pulsating gash in reality.
"So," Kyouko says, producing her Soul Gem and holding it out to you on her palm. "Yuma?"
You can't help but notice that the way Kyouko holds it, flat out on her outstretched palm, leaves the clouded Gem well above Yuma's line of sight. In fact, you doubt the younger girl can see it.
[] Write-in
=====​
Witch fight!
Last edited: Jul 6, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 32
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jul 8, 2016

- #92,554

You purse your lips, meeting Kyouko's eyes. She has to tilt her head back a little to meet your eyes, but meet them she does, a challenging glare in her gaze.
You know, she knows, and you know she knows you know.
Later.
You crook your fingers, drawing the Grief away from Kyouko's Soul Gem. At the same time, your cloud of Grief swoops down from the rooftops to join you in the alleyway. You pull the swarm of spheres into a ready position, drifting around the three of you in a loose, slowly turning formation.
"Jesus," Kyouko mutters, glancing around at the spheres of solid Grief. Yuma follows her gaze, too, turning to look at the formation of Grie- oh you see what she's doing. Clever.
You half nod to yourself. You'll play along - and you do, taking advantage to draw the Grief off to the side while Yuma's distracted by your half-intentional display. You yank Grief from Kyouko's Gem as fast as you can, bilious eddies you collapse into spheres that scatter into the cloud and into your bag.
"Yuma?" you prompt, absently cleaning your own Gem and leaving it a gleaming white.
"Ah! Yes!" Yuma says, producing her bright orange Soul Gem for you to cleanse, which you do with a smile. "Thank you, Sabrina!"
You smile at her, reaching down to ruffle her hair. She leans into it, nuzzling against your hand like a cat. "No problem, Yuma-" your eyes flick over to meet Kyouko's, "-Kyouko."
She grimaces and nods slightly, Soul Gem restored to its ring form. "Thanks," she grunts. She fumbles in her pocket for a moment and produces a box of Pocky, taking one for herself and Yuma before offering you the box.
Were they Witch-bombed or something? You eye the Barrier, rolling your shoulders as you snag one of the chocolate-covered biscuit sticks, smiling a little. "Thanks! So... how d'you want to do this? I can play support and watch your back, or I can just go ahead and break everything."
Kyouko scowls at you. "We'll pull our weight," she says. "Right, Yuma?"
"Right!" Yuma agrees, beaming at you. She looks up and down the deserted alleyway before transforming, the burst of light replacing her pink hoodie with her ruffled, white and green costume. Her adopted older sister follows suit moments later, cassock-dress flowing over her skinny form.
You don't think they were Witch- or lich- bombed. There's no hesitation in their transformations or movements, and Yuma doesn't seem to be unhappy about anything.
Kyouko summons a spear to her hand, spinning it with effortless ease before resting it against her shoulder. "Ready?"
"Yep," you agree, sticking the pocky in your mouth. You pull Grief around you in a flowing mantle, taking a deep breath. Another day, another Witch fight.
Kyouko nods sharply, stepping into the Barrier. Yuma follows her, bouncing in her hands a mace almost larger than she is, while you take the rear.
You plunge into the Barrier, bracing yourself for the nauseating, stomach twisting slap in the face. You swallow hard, forcing back the rising gorge in your throat.
Something jabs you lightly in the side. You follow the spear back to Kyouko, who's peering at you with a frown. "Yo, you OK there?"
"Yeah," you say, straightening and fumbling with the pocky stick dangling from your lips. Scorching heat scrapes at the back of your neck and your scalp, even through your thick hair. "I... well. I can sense Grief. All this-" you wave for emphasis, "-is Grief. It's always a bit of a... shock to the senses."
Kyouko nods. "Right," she says, glancing around.
It's a desert. Vast, rolling sand dunes stretch off into the distance, the sun blazing down from above. It's high noon.
... it's a good thing that you're a puella magi. White girl that you are, so much as glancing at the sun-blasted landscape would probably give you one hell of a sunburn. Instantly.
Kyouko crunches noisily at the pocky in her mouth, faded crimson eyes darting around as she surveys the seemingly endless sand dunes. "Hey, can you get up high?"
"Yeah," you say, wings already blooming from your shoulders. "Good idea."
As you launch yourself skywards, you can't help but notice the way Kyouko stands in front of Yuma, spear at the ready to defend the younger girl. You can't hide the smile, either, so it's just as well that you're airborne and out of Kyouko's line of sight - she'd probably stab you if you comment on how adorable they are.
Then again, she'd probably only stab you a bit.
You're friends, after all.
You thi-
Too close!
Instincts roar in your mind, and you twist away-
Only for your wings to clip an unyielding ceiling, sending you into a wild, uncontrolled tumble.
You snap yourself back upright, your will forcibly overwriting your momentum. "I'm OK!" you call.
"What the fuck was that?" Kyouko snaps. You can see her shading her eyes to look up at you.
"This isn't a real sky," you respond, glaring upwards as you level your flight out."There's an invisible ceiling up here."
Something that sounds suspiciously like a snort echoes in your head. "Crashed into it, did ya?"
"... almost," you concede, starting to scan the Barrier. It's nothing but endless dunes of sand, looking almost like a calm lake frozen over and hued in yellowy-oranges. You relay that to Kyouko.
"Nothin' at all?" Kyouko asks. "'nything that looks out of place or something?"
You fly a slow loop, inspecting the landscape with care. "No," you confirm. "Lots and lots of sand."
"Underground or above, then," Kyouko decides. "See if you can break through the sky, we'll work on the ground."
"OK!" Yuma says.
"Right," you say. Below, you see a twin flash of crimson and green, and sand starts to erupt into the air as Kyouko and Yuma start digging.
You purse your lips, considering the sky. Your wings stop as you replace aerodynamics with will, Grief manipulation letting you hang dead at a dead stop in the sky. You try not to think too hard about the fact that the wings aren't actually attached to your shoulders, just kind of... hovering there.
A touch of will sends you drifting upwards to meet the ceiling. You reach out cautiously, finding it cool to the touch, almost glassy.
Hm.
You crunch thoughtfully on the pocky. You could Grief rend a hole right through it, but it'd also bring every single Familiar in the place down on you. Which ordinarily you wouldn't mind, but with Kyouko, and more importantly, Yuma here, you're not as sure.
Hammertime, then.
... There is a very obvious reference here that you won't make.
A silver warhammer flashes into existence in your hand, the haft reassuringly solid. You rear back and swing as hard as you can, twisting from your hips and the Grief of your wings to lend as much force as you can to the blow. Swing through.
Your hammer bounces off. It bounces off with a sharp crack that reverberates around the entire Barrier, the shock of impact juddering up your arm. "Ow," you grunt, shaking out your arms.
"Quit screwing around up there, we've got it," Kyouko snaps at you.
"Well how was I supposed to know that?" you grunt back, glaring up at the invisible small-b barrier. You fold your wings and dive straight down.
You land in the middle of a huge crater excavated in the sand, the clash of weapons echoing from below - at the bottom of the pit is a smooth, rocky surface with a hole punched clear through it, metallic sparks glowing below.
"Incoming!" you call, diving in after Kyouko and Yuma. You can feel the wave of Familiars pouring down on them, skittering things scuttling in the darkness.
You drop right next to Yuma, taking the situation in at a glance - Kyouko just two steps ahead, spear flashing and stabbing and weaving in intricate patterns as she slices into a horde of Familiars. Scurrying, dog-sized things with too many glassy eyes and legs. They're vaguely boxy, a pair of ram's horns curling above a single large eye in place of any coherent head, a dozen eyes apiece scattered at random over the rest of their skittering bodies.
Flashes of light strobe as each Familiar dies, stark white illumination bright enough to hurt the eye as Kyouko smashes into the glassy bodies with clear chimes of breaking glass.
Yuma watches intently, knuckles white around the haft of her mace. With a sharp, wordless cry, she rears back, raising her mace over her head and bringing it smashing down. Shockwaves ripple out, Kyouko diving smoothly out of the way as the rolling wave punches into the Familiars, sending them flying.
"On your left!" you bark, sweeping in after the wake of the shockwave, a thousand blades blooming out of the cloud of Grief. The blades flash around you in a buzzing swarm, an oblate sphere gleaming deep purple in what little light filters from the hole behind you.
The sphere bulges around you, a maw yawning wide to bite down on the oncoming wave of Familiars. You lunge forward, each blade finding a target and slamming deep, and you sprint on.
"Christ. C'mon, Yuma!" Kyouko barks. You can sense her, hard on your heels. Her spear lashes out, lengthening past you to punch through a particularly large specimen of Familiar.
"Right!" Yuma says, keeping up gamely.
You slow a step, letting Kyouko vault in front of you with her spear to crunch down on a Familiar with both boots. The haft of her spear snaps into pieces, the rattle of chains cracking through the air, the spearhead whirling about Kyouko like a living thing.
Your footsteps pound through the caves as the three of you push deeper, the relentless crush of spear and mace and hammer and Grief rolling over the Familiars pouring towards you.
Kyouko doesn't go out of her way to kill Familiars, just those in her path, you can't help but notice. Not surprising - but she doesn't do much more than give you an annoyed look when she notices that you're picking up the slack with a sandstorm of blades that scourges every Familiar you can sense. There's no time to do anything more.
The caves grow darker the deeper you travel - the flashbulb bright novas of light from dying Familiars would be enough to leave anyone not a puella magi blinded and disoriented. Stark shadows dance across the walls, stopmotion cutouts of the three of you carving your way through.
"Up ahead!" Kyouko snaps, spear whirling out to point for a moment before streaking through a figure-of-eight flourish that finishes with three Familiars impaled on the blade.
You nod, spotting it - a faint, luminescent glow growing brighter as you punch through the last line of skittering familiars.
You find... an underground oasis, a small pool of water sitting at the bottom of a large cavern. Looking down, you spot impossibly lush greenery, a single crimson flower sitting atop a mass of leafy vines that curl around the water.
Yuma smashes the last Familiar into pulp with her mace, wrinkling her nose at the glassy shards. "Ergh," she complains.
Kyouko nods sharply, blowing out a breath as she kneels abruptly in front of Yuma, inspecting her carefully. "You alright, Yuma?" she asks. "Didn't get injured?"
"Nope!" Yuma says proudly. "Yuma didn't get hit at all, big sis!"
[] Write-in
=====​
Witch time!
Last edited: Jul 9, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 33
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jul 13, 2016

- #92,792

You grin at Yuma, the buzzing swarm of Grief blades slowing to a slow, protective roil that curls around all three of you. "Well done, Yuma!" you tell her. "You're doing really well."
The little girl ducks her head, returning the smile. "It's thanks to big sis teaching Yuma," she protests.
Kyouko grunts, levering herself to her feet with her spear. "Yeah, well," she says, glancing away. "Wasn't like I was gonna let y' go and get yourself hurt."
You snicker, earning yourself an annoyed glare from Kyouko. The redhead stalks over to the edge of the precipice, grounding the butt of her spear in the rock with a crunch as she peers down at the oasis.
"Four or five stories down," she mutters, rippling her fingers on the haft of her spear. "Easy jump."
"Before that," you say, joining her. It's really just a little ledge, protruding near the top of the cavern wall. "I want to try and get a feel for whether the flower is actually the Witch or just a fakeout."
Kyouko wrinkles her nose. "Hnh. I reckon it's the real thing," she says, and shrugs ambivalently. "Not like I'm in a rush."
"Right, just a moment," you murmur, extending your hand, palm out towards the greenery below. It's probably psychosomatic, but it helps you focus your senses towards the flower and the greenery below.
Bianca.
Awareness of the name bubbles up through your mind, graven tones whispering in your ear.
That's her, then.
"Yeah," you agree. You glance at Kyouko, nodding. "You were right."
Kyouko snorts. "Nice t' have your approval, 'brina," she grunts, lips twisted into a sardonic expression.
"It is," you say mildly. "Some Witches like the bait and switch, after all."
She grimaces, looking back down at the Witch. "Soooooo..."
"I'll take the lead?" you offer. "Then you and Yuma?"
"Yeah, sure," Kyouko says, giving you an annoyed look.
"Well, then..." you bounce your hammer in your hand, leaning forward... and you let yourself tip backwards over the edge, grinning at Kyouko. "Geronimoooo!"
Over the rush of wind and rustle of your robes, you can hear Kyouko groan. "Oh, for- Yuma!"
Kyouko's right - it isn't a long fall. Your swarm of Grief blades boil around you, thousands of razor shards lancing out ahead of your fall.
The blades hit first, plunging deep into vines in bright fountains of luminous ichor, splashing across the cavern walls. But the rose, the great crimson blossom, is already writhing to life. It rises on huge, thorned vines, twisting with impossible motion that hurts to look at.
You miss, and you strike the cavern floor hammer-first to gouge a crater from the rough stone. The damage you add is barely noticeable amongst deep crevasses wide enough to fit you comfortably long etched by the prehensile roots.
You missed, by a fair margin.
But that's alright, because bare moments behind you-
Kyouko lands with a massive thwack, her spear wielded like an axe to bite deep into the flailing vines of the Witch as it crawls away. She pushes off, leaping away but leaving her spear embedded firmly in place.
Yuma comes down like a green thunderbolt, pounding the spear in with a cry of effort and a glowing green shockwave that pulses across the Barrier. You're already up on your feet at this point, arms sweeping grandly and longcoat whirling around you.
On your left and on your right, thorny vines closing in.
That's alright. You won't be here when they catch up.
In front of you, a scarred warren of trenches, crisscrossed by writhing vines. The ground quakes, glassy minions boiling from the holes in skittering hordes.
Which is also alright, because a thousand blades slice across the distance at your will, pounding into the Familiars as you leap high.
Green flashes ahead of you as a diminutive girl weaves in and out of the vines, a look of strained concentration on her face as she ducks-
Just in time for a thorned vine to whip by her head. Kyouko cannons into the Witch with a cry, spear flashing in the dim light as she cleaves through the offending vine.
The Witch is fully in view now, a writhing, vaguely octopus shaped mass. In the middle, the single crimson rose disappears under a coiling, protective cocoon, tiny flashes of red visible here and there as the vines snap through the air.
It vaguely hurts to look at, an odd, flickering quality to its movements, almost like a film missing a few keyframes.
You leap powerfully, blades whirling around you to punch through Familiars. Reversing your warhammer, you slam it spike first into one of the twisting vines, clinging on. "The flower?" you yell in Kyouko's general direction as the vine flails, trying to throw you off.
"Duh!" Kyouko yells back, managing to give you a disgruntled look even as she drives her spear into a squirming root and slicing through it.
"Got it!" The vine bucks wildly under you, trying to toss you off. You hang on with grim determination, watching the Witch intently.
... honestly, beyond waving its vines and roots and thorns at you in a generally threatening manner, the Witch hasn't actually done much.
A shudder reverberates up the side of the Witch as Yuma pounds several roots into slurry. The vine you're riding whips into a frenzy, thrashing and smashing wildly. It even crushes a few stray Familiars.
Also, you appear to be in a crater. One that, yes, you just made with your back, and the vine is squashing you rather uncomfortably against the rock, and your hammer is digging somewhat annoyingly into your gut.
You rip free with a yell -that stung- and a heave, Grief whipping around you in a violent form. You explode forward, kicking off the wall hard enough to crater it and soar through the air, longcoat flapping. You need something bigger.
Form follows will, Grief sweeping out in a long, cutting line that follows the knife edge of your palm as you whip your arm through a cutting arc. The streak of abyssal purple cleaves through stone and terminates in the ground, shearing away a clean half of vines. You miss the rose, half by design -you could have killed the Witch a dozen times over by now, but Kyouko- and half because it jerked away at the last moment.
Thorny vines and roots with the consistency of seasoned teak bounce away in sprays of sap.
Kyouko bounces into the gap almost before your Grief dissipates, battle cassock swirling around her. Her spear flashes, eyeblink-fast as it shatters into living segments. The chains crash through the air, pushing back the frantically contracting vines as Kyouko plunges into the heart of the Witch.
Crimson flakes scatter as she carves into it without mercy, the petals falling apart with a soft sigh under the whirling spearhead.
The vines quiver. Once, twice, trying to brush Kyouko away-
And the Witch dies.
Yuma runs in after Kyouko, mace smacking at whatever she can reach for that last bit of emphasis.
But the Witch is already dying, something giving way like a dam breaking. You can feel the living vitality gone out of the air in your Grief sense, the Barrier softening and starting to run in at the edges.
The Witch dies, and collapses, vines withering to blackness. Kyouko whirls her spear one more time in a spinning flourish before flicking it out to the side, still staring around warily. Yuma bounds to her side, throwing her arms around Kyouko's waist in a happy squeal.
Kyouko only relaxes when the three of you are disgorged from the collapsing Barrier, deposited without ceremony on a nearby rooftop. The familiar inrush of Grief in your senses is followed by the sharp ping of a Grief Seed appearing nearby, Kyouko scooping it up in one hand and finally unwinding enough to ruffle Yuma's hair.
She rolls her neck, glancing at you with faded crimson eyes. "So. Lunch?" she asks, casually slipping the Grief Seed into her pocket.
[] Write-in
=====​
So, just an FYI - I'll be going on vacation starting this weekend, for two weeks. I don't know how much time I'll have to write, but I'll see whether I can't update.
Last edited: Jul 14, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 34
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jul 18, 2016

- #92,971

"Same place?" you ask. "Or somewhere else? I met some... nice people..." You break off into a fit of very fake coughs. "CoughYakuzacoughcough- who didn't mind being relieved of some pocket money."
Kyouko looks up from inspecting Yuma for injury. She blinks at you, squinting as if trying to decide whether you're being serious and apparently deciding that you are, promptly rolls her eyes towards the skies. "God damn it. You would, wouldn't you?"
You smile innocently. "Would what?"
She groans, palming her face. "Nevermind. Y' serious about eating somewher... Nah, you're serious. Uhhhh, Yuma, any ideas?"
"Yuma doesn't know any good restaurants," Yuma says, looking down at the floor.
Well. You were going to ask her, but... well, no. Since Kyouko already asked, and you're not going to push, in any case.
Kyouko scowls, tugging at her enormous red mane. "There's a place nearby," she says speculatively.
"And?" you say. "Cleansing, by the way?"
"Uh, yeah," Kyouko says, fumbling at her throat for her Soul Gem. "Yeah, thanks. And the place is kinda pricey?"
Yuma produces her own Soul Gem, too, holding it up for you with both hands and a bright smile.
You shrug as you cleanse their Soul Gems. "I have money," you say, taking a moment to wipe your own clean and gather the Grief for storage.
Kyouko eyes you, sighing. "God damn it," she grumbles. "How do you make it so hard to take advantage of you?"
"Well, I'm offering," you say, smirking at her. "That's how. Anyway, lead on?"
She sighs again, aggrieved. "Ugh," she grumbles, stalking over to the edge of the roof and peering down before hopping over.
Yuma gives you a tentative little smile. "Big sis is just being tsundere," she confides.
You laugh, reaching out to pat her on the head. "Is that your new favourite word now?"
"Yee-eessssss?" she says, giggling a little. "Big sis is tsundere. She's always being nice to me but if I ask she pretends she doesn't mean to be."
"Oi, you two coming?" Kyouko's voice floats up from below in the alley, irritable and grumpy.
"Yeah, yeah," you say, vaulting the ledge at the edge of the roof and dropping to the alley below in a flurry of leather. You find Kyouko already detransformed and giving you a suspicious look, one she transfers to Yuma when the shorter girl lands.
Without saying anything more, she snorts and turns to head out of the alley.
"Go ahead," you tell Yuma, raising one hand. "I'll catch up."
The green haired girl nods, and bounces out of the alley after Kyouko as a sphere of Grief slaps into your hand. You crack it open, the deep purple material melting apart at your will to reveal the neatly piled stacks of notes. Humming thoughtfully, you add a few larger notes to your wallet, and seal it back up before destransforming and hurrying out of the alley.
You catch up with them just in time to see Yuma sidling up to Kyouko and holding her hand up to her adopted older sister.
Without even seeming to notice it consciously, Kyouko takes Yuma's hand, squeezing a little.
You don't even bother to hide your smile. You're walking behind them, after all.
"So Yuma," you say, taking a few quick steps to catch up. The streets are nearly empty at this time of the day, even the lunch crowd dispersing. "Kyouko's training you, right?"
"Yeah!" Yuma says, nodding vigorously. "Big sis is a really good teacher! She always encourages me and praises me and-"
"Shut it, brat," Kyouko says gruffly, ruffling Yuma's hair.
"OK," Yuma says, peeking at you from under her bangs and winking at you.
Don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh you don't want a spear in your guts even if Yuma would heal it for you don't laugh don't laugh-
You manage to swallow your laughter. "Soooo what do you think about getting a training partner? About my age? I mean, it's up to Kyouko, but well, thought I'd ask you."
Kyouko shoots you a glare. "Oi."
"Um?" you ask, blinking at her.
"I haven't said yes yet," she grunts. "Y' can stop leaning on Yuma now, thanks."
"... Oh," you say. "Uh. Sorry. I was just kind of teasing, really."
Yuma bumps against Kyouko's leg. "I'm sure Sabrina didn't mean anything, big sis..."
Kyouko groans, rubbing her face. "You probably bleedin' well don't," she grumbles. "We're here."
You raise an eyebrow at the indicated place. Another buffet place, yes, and... Well, if price is any indication of quality, then this is about twice as good as the last place. Good thing you can afford it, what with the way you've padded your purse out.
You shrug. "Sure," you say easily, stepping forward and catching a waiter's eye. "Table for three."
All three of you are shown to a table in short order, with only mildly curious glances from the wait staff. You're practically the only people in the restaurant at this time, and you don't exactly make the most inconspicuous group.
Kyouko hops to her feet. "C'mon, Yuma," she says, starting for the buffet line.
You follow, filling up a small plate of your own. This place seems, interestingly enough, Chinese food themed. A bit of braised pork, some stir-fried vegetables, steamed fish... pass on the carbs, you decide. As a puella magi, you probably can't get fat, but there's still no reason to overeat.
Kyouko arrives back at the table with Yuma in tow, both of them carrying plates piled high with food. You smile at them. "Let's eat!"
You dig in, savouring the food. It's good Chinese food, not too heavily flavoured, and the braised pork all but dissolves in your mouth. You take your time to enjoy it, watching your two companions.
Yuma's doing better. Much better. There's a... healthier look to her, more smiles, less nervous tension. Less of that haunted, wary look that flashed across her face when you first met her. You feel kind of like hugging her, really. You can't imagine she had very many from her bitch of a mother.
Honestly Kyouko deserves a hug too, and really, everyone you know. You don't believe you've hugged Madoka yet, which is kind of egregious when you've technically given Hiroko a hug. Then again, you most emphatically have not given Sasa Yuuki a hug. Or Ono.
Of course, Mami's received plenty of hugs. It's sort of your default resting position, to be honest.
... Hm.
Kyouko leaves for a second plate somewhere during your musings, followed shortly by Yuma a minute later. Bottomless pits, the both of them.
Speaking -or thinking- of Kyouko, you do need to ask her about the sudden Grief accumulation.
"Hey, Kyouko?" you pulse telepathically.
Her mental sigh rattles about your head. "Yeah?"
"So I didn't ask earlier, but about your Soul Gem-" she cuts you off.
"Later," Kyouko grunts without looking up from the buffet line. "Listen, I don't wanna talk about it. But I got a feeling you're gonna dig and dig, and you're the one... footing the bill, metaphorically speaking, so... But not in front a' Yuma."
"Right," you say, suitably chastised.
Kyouko returns with a laden plate, dusky red eyes resting on you for a long moment. She grimaces, looking back down at her plate, but manages an easy smile for Yuma when she returns.
The three of you eat in peace, Kyouko and Yuma both demolishing several plates apiece. Bottomless pits the both of them. Yuma finishes first, pushing her plate aside and patting her rounded stomach happily. Kyouko's slowing, on her sixth plate to Yuma's fifth, and you guess she's nearly done, too.
"So... Kyouko. Do you know about Walpurgisnacht?" you ask tentatively.
She glances up at you, frowning around a mouthful. "No?" she answers after chewing and swallowing.
You sigh. "The so-called Queen of Witches, though really, it's only one of a handful. It... it's big, strong, and it's coming to wipe Mitakihara off the map. Do you happen to have any plans for the thirtieth of April?"
Emotions flicker across Kyouko's face, before settling on restrained anger. "Mami get killed off sometime recently?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Greetings from vacation!
Last edited: Jul 18, 2016
Threadmarks Anomalous Materials pt. 35
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jul 24, 2016

- #93,343

Your hand slams onto the table, making the plates -and Yuma- jump. Kyouko's gaze hardens, meeting yours. Faded carmine against sky blue.
She doesn't say anything, holding your eyes defiantly.
Your jaw works silently for a moment as you leash your anger, biting back anything unwise you might say. But at the same time - you're not going to be diplomatic, either. She's talking about Mami. She's talking about your friend. About someone who's her friend, too, albeit estranged.
"Fucking hell, Kyouko," you snarl. Yuma quails away from you, but here and now, you don't care. "Do you really think I would be here all sunshine and rainbows if she had?"
"Then the fuck do you get off, tryin' t' get me there?" Kyouko snaps, not giving an inch. "Y'know about our- history." She bites the word out bitterly.
"I'm bringing it up, Kyouko, because Walpurgisnacht is like a damned hurricane," you hiss into her mind, the cold bite of anger colouring your mental voice. "When the Queen of Witches shows up, entire cities get wiped off the map. Cities, plural, and this might include Kasamino too, because hello, Mitakihara is right there." You flick two fingers at the window.
Kyouko leans forward on the table, half empty plate forgotten. She's probably going to say something, but you cut her off.
"It's bad enough that Mami's looking at us hiring girls from around the country to come and help us fight it," you snap. Your anger, leashed as it is, melts away. You close your eyes wearily. "I- god, Kyouko, I've been telling magical girls I know in the region so that they can at least get the hell out of the way if they're not going to fight. I thought it'd be better if I were the one to tell you because I know you and Mami have a complicated history, and-"
Kyouko cuts you off this time, with a slashing motion of her hand. "And y' thought the best way to do that was with a recruiting pitch, huh? Like I'd just fall into fucking line and march? Me 'n Yuma?"
Your anger, already melting away, dies. "No. Let me be perfectly clear. I am not here to demand your help or put you through some kind of guilt tripping or- or whatever bullshit!"
Kyouko sneers at you. Yuma, already wilting, quails even from that. "Yeah, and you just happen to make it sound like one."
"That was a mistake," you admit. "Look. I would like your help. I would! But if you decide to sit it out, that's fine too. Just treat it as a warning instead - it's not going to stop me from coming 'round to make sure the two of you are OK. That'll happen no matter what."
You smile crookedly. "I think you know me at this point. I'm too damned idealistic and stubborn to stay away, even if you started greeting me with a spear to the gut." You pause, rubbing your mouth. "Please don't start greeting me with a spear to the gut."
Kyouko rolls her eyes, grimacing and starting to cram food into her mouth again, snatching food off the plate and cramming it into her mouth with unnecessary force.
You choose not to interrupt, letting her work through it. Instead, you try to catch Yuma's eye - but she doesn't seem to notice, slumped over in the chair with her fringe shading her eyes.
It only takes a few minutes for Kyouko to work through her plate, and she flounces off to the buffet line. She returns with a plate laden with fruit, shoving it halfway between herself and Yuma. The younger girl doesn't really seem to notice as Kyouko chomps her way through a few slices of honeydew, followed by an apple.
Finally, Kyouko sighs, softening and ruffling Yuma's hair. The green haired girl curls into her, burying her face against Kyouko's side. "Fine," Kyouko grunts. "Yuma 'n I'll be goin' to a hotel after this. Y' coming?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Here, have a short update from vacationland! I have, sadly been able to find any Oriko merchandise despite scouring Akihabara.
Last edited: Jul 30, 2016
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