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# Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

- Thread starter Firnagzen
- Start date May 19, 2014
- Tags
    bad decisions dating mami tomoe diabolical laughter friendship is the best ship handholding identity crises microwaving tea gets you put in the bad place names are important puella magi adfligo systema puella magi madoka magica the body is the fursona of the soul this is not the baked goods thread we don't talk about rionna what could possibly go wrong? who in the world is azure sanfrancisco?

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Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 40
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 10, 2015

- #24,384

"Got them," you answer Chouko. "Akiko's de-gemmed and Sakura's captive." A thought starts Akiko's Soul Gem moving back to you - you figure that's safe enough, since Akiko won't wake up until you actually touch the Gem to her, anyway.
"Good. That's... good," Chouko says, sounding relieved. "Where are you right now?"
"Near one of the big radio towers," you say. "The one with the, the kinda bulge near the top." Akiko's Soul Gem halts in the air before you, and you pluck it from the air, before slipping it into your pocket to clink against the others. The motion draws looks from Noa and Mami.
"We'll come over," Chouko replies.
You blink. Well, you were going to suggest that. "Yes, OK. Umm... if you can, pick up any of Hamasaki's group's bodies?"
"What?"
"Are you planning on leaving them down?" you ask tartly.
A pause. "No..." she says, reluctance hanging off the tone.
"Collect their bodies, and we can discuss what to do with them at least?" you suggest.
A longer pause. "Very well," Chouko replies.
"OK," you say.
You glance at the Tokyo girl. She's standing very still, and apparently trying to make herself as unobtrusive as possible, her eyes still watching you carefully. "Miss Ueda," you say. "Please stay for a moment? We're discussing how to proceed."
Noa nods quietly, eyes flicking to Mami and Kirika, then back to you.
"Mami," you say, catching her attention. Golden eyes flick to you, a warm smile rising to her face despite the rain still pelting down. You return the smile. "I'm thinking... we bring everyone to the radio tower and discuss our next move? And maybe we can get Sakura to help collect everyone?"
Mami purses her lips, drumming her fingers against the barrel of her musket. She seems to struggle with herself for a moment, before seeming to steel herself. "I... don't think we should bring Miss Tachibana in," she says hesitantly. "I... I'm sure she'd make the process quicker? But I don't think Miss Tsubaki would take it well."
You nod. "OK," you say simply, still smiling at her. You... for all that you've known Mami for a week, you've a lot to make up to her. For all that you've maybe been alive for all of a week, you have a lot to make up for.
Still. Thoughts for later. Always later.
Mami looks relieved, her smile returning, a skittish, eager to please thing. "It's a good idea... what are we going to tell Miss Tsubaki and her friends?"
"They... just want their lives back," you say, sighing. "The sticking point is Hamasaki, who..."
"There's something wrong with her," Mami says slowly, her face sliding into a troubled expression.
"Yeah," you agree. "I told you about her whole 'safety, security, commodity' thing, right?"
"You did," Mami says. "It's... strange. I... I'd talk to her, but given the way she was..."
"Yeah," you grumble, huffing out a thoughtful breath.
"Heeeeeey," Kirika chirps at you, turning to direct a grin at you. "You and your oujo decided what to do with Miss Wild Casey here?"
"Wild Casey?" you say blankly. "Sakura?"
She stares at you with her uncovered eye. "You never played Pokémon?"
"Poké... ohhh, gotcha, Abra," you say. "The English version has a different name for it."
Kirika shrugs lightly, still staying alert. "Meh. What're we doin'?"
"Well, I don't think we can let her go yet," you say. "Because, well, she really is a wild Abra. Sorry."
"Eh, 'kay," Kirika says.
You look back at Noa. "Miss Ueda?"
"Yes, Miss Sabrina?" The girl looks up at you. Her twintails, sodden and hanging sadly at her side, slap against her armour at the motion.
"What's your side of the story, anyway?" you ask Noa. "I mean, I know that Hamasaki called you in to discuss aiding her, but..."
Noa shakes her head. "There's not much to say. Miss Hamasaki's helped us in a... minor conflict, before. Almost a year ago? And as I said, she contacted us, saying she might need help in her own conflict, and then about half an hour earlier again, saying she needed us now," she says, before hastily adding, "Sorry."
"I see," you say neutrally. "Well, for my side... My power lets me control Grief. I can cleanse Soul Gems, and I'm willing to offer my services to you and your team, provided you don't use it to assault other magical girls or other... nefarious purposes." You smile self-depreciatingly.
Noa nods, digesting that quietly.
You can feel the University girls on approach, borne aloft by Chouko. Even from this distance, you can see they're burdened down with... a number of extra bodies.
Chouko hovers over the roof, releasing her power's hold over her friends, and they drop gently to the roof, all looking triumphant. Yuko flips a body off her shoulders to drop unceremoniously onto the roof - a girl you don't recognize, dressed in a loose, billowy dress of brilliant red and black. Akiyama Atsuko, you suppose. You prefer Kuvira, really.
The other one, laid more gently on the roof by the Suzuki sisters, is... Yumi's, you guess, from the state of her hands. You have an overwhelming impression of grey - messy grey hair falls over an elaborate, multilayered kimono of a lighter grey. Bands of bright orange trimming our her sleeve and sash are the only splashes of colour on her form - apart from the thick smears of blood from her lacerated fingers, anyway.
Yuko stares at Akiko's limp, trapped form, and a jubilant grin breaks out on her face, one that spreads across the Suzuki sisters' faces. Chouko's eyes are just as satisfied as she surveys Akiko's dangling body. She nods in satisfaction, before transferring her gaze to Noa. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ueda Noa, from North Tokyo," she says, carefully polite, still in that deliberately neutral position. "My negotiations with Miss Hamasaki fell through."
Now that you look more closely at her, there's something about the set of her eyes... she's too controlled. She's not afraid of you, per se? Or she is, according you the same kind of fear a loaded gun receives. Wary, evaluative respect for something you know damned well could kill. Determined to stay on your good side.
Chouko nods cautiously. "OK," she says. "I am Tsubaki Chouko, these are my friends. We... we're fighting Hamasaki."
Noa nods, equally cautiously.
...
"Chouko, what's the damage like?" you ask after an uncomfortable moment passes.
"We're fine," Chouko says, gesturing at herself and the rest of the University girls.
"Ah-" I meant the city "-that's good. How about the city?"
She shakes her head. "Quite bad. It's not just Kuvira - Ramiel did... quite a bit of damage to the buildings, too. I think Kyuubey's going to have quite a job covering this up."
Mami's jaw tightens at the mention of the Incubator.
"By the way, Ramiel isn't actually her name, is it?" Chouko asks.
You shrug. "Nope. It's Koizumi Sasami."
Chouko nods. "Ah."
"Anyway, more important things - I want to see if we can heal any civilians, and grab the rest of the girl's bodies," you say, gesturing at the two on the roof. Speaking of healing, you need to check in on Rin. You reach out telepathically for her. "Rin?" Mami walks to your side, and you shoot her a quick smile, which she returns.
Rin's voice is tired when she replies to you. "Y-yes, Miss Sabrina?"
"Are you a healer too?" Chouko asks curiously. "I'm not even surprised at this point."
"No," you say. "But Rin -Miss Mori- is." To Rin, you say, "Hey, are you OK?"
"Hmm," Chouko says, frowning slightly. "That's... your perogative," she allows slowly. "Can we... settle Hamasaki first?"
"What's going to happen to me now?" she asks quietly.
"Hmm," you temporize. You continue talking to Rin, trying to inject reassurance into your tone. "Nothing, if I have anything to say about it."
"Hmmm," Rin says. Something about how she says it conveys an overwhelming sense of weariness.
[] Write-in
=====​
Hmmm.
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 41
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 11, 2015

- #24,781

"I... I don't think so," you say, meeting Chouko's eyes. "She's probably going to have to wait for last... she was literally shrieking mad just now, and I had to, ah, disconnect her. Once she wakes up... well, yeah. She's only going to get madder and more incoherent."
To Rin, you say, "Rin, are you OK? Could you come over, or would you like us to come get you? There's a lot of injured people in the streets, and we'd really appreciate your help."
Chouko grimaces, looking dubious. "Hamasaki? Miss Ice-in-my-veins?"
Rin sends you a sigh. "Sure," she says tiredly. "On my way. Where are you?"
"Yeah, I know," you say. "But there's people in the streets who might be dying, who need our help for now." Telepathically, you tell Rin, "The nearer radio tower, with the bulge near the top."
"You realize that we only have one healer?" Chouko says, frowning. "And we can't do this quietly?"
"On my way," Rin says.
"Fuck doing it quietly, fuck hiding it. That's Kyuubey's problem," you say flatly. "And we're all faster and stronger than civilians. We can bring people to Rin to heal. Miss Ueda-" you glance at the Tokyo girl, "-are you willing to help? And do you have plans to return home?"
"Yes," she answers. "Yes, I'll help. And I don't... Miss Tachibana was supposed to return me."
"Alright," you say. "Mami, how long do you think we'd take to get to Tokyo, if we needed to drop her off?"
"Umm... maybe an hour? Two?" Mami says.
"Oh. Longer than I expected," you reply.
"Well," you continue. "If need be, I'm willing to send you back personally."
Chouko still looks uneasy, watching the byplay. "Miss Sabrina, are you sure we should be doing this? Stopping Kuvira is one thing, yes, but this... is something else."
"People are hurt," you say simply. "In part because of us, our fights."
"Fine," Chouko says. "Girls?"
Yuko lets out a breath. "Yeah," she says. "It's a good idea, and we can aff- Miss Sabrina, our Soul Gems..."
You nod. "I was just about to offer. Is everybody OK with this? Miss Ueda, you too? Cleansing, I mean. I can cleanse your Soul Gem."
At the chorus of agreement and nods, you raise your hand, and a casual wave has Grief rippling away from the array of Soul Gems - the University girls', Noa's, Mami's, Kirika's, Sakura's, and your own. You absently check the Soul Gems in your pocket, but they don't seem to have accumulated any noticeable corruption.
Noa shakily raises her own Soul Gem to her eye level, looking closely at the turqoise gem with some disbelief.
"Anyway, we're waiting for Miss Mori, but is everybody fine with not being healed yet, so that we can get to the civilians first?" you say, eyeing the Suzuki sisters.
Haru and Rei exchange glances. "We're fine with it," Rei says.
"Alright, then we'll move as soon as Rin gets here," you say. You can already sense her approaching, hopping over the roofs.
Rin arrives a moment later, landing smoothly from a long bound. She looks... careworn, as if she's aged a century since you'd last seen her. The healer looks at Akiko's dangling form, then at Yumi, collapsed on the roof, and the burns on the Suzuki sisters.
Her eyes pass over Sakura, and she takes a step towards her friend, aborting it midmotion and glancing at you.
You sigh. "Let her up, Kirika," you say. You've still got her Soul Gem, and she's outnumbered, in any case. Kirika bounces lightly to her feet, and Sakura slowly pushes herself up, giving you a glare. Rin walks over, and they look at each other - having a telepathic conversation.
"Anyway," you say. "Can we get moving? We need to move fast to save lives." A fraction of your will has Grief flooding on to the roof, forming a platform to scoop up Yumi and Atsuko's bodies. Without prompting, Mami twitches her wrist, laying Akiko's body on it too. Noa gives the platform and the unmoving bodies an uneasy look.
"Alright, everyone who can't fly, hop on," you say, suiting action to words. Though technically, you yourself can fly, so you're not quite following what you say... that's not exactly relevant right now.
Mami hops up behind you, smiling softly at you, and Kirika bounds up too, turning to give Sakura an evil glare. The teleporter glares right back, and reluctantly steps onto the platform, Rin following a moment behind.
"I, ah..." Noa says, still looking uncomfortable. "We just need to help search and rescue, right? We should spread out." She gestures at the nearest stretch of torn up road.
You pause. "Yeah, OK," you say. "Spread out, keep in contact by telepathy, call out the worst cases, bring them to Rin if not?"
A nod from the Tokyo girl, and the University Girls, too.
"Alright," you say. "Let's go."
The platform lifts off the roof, and heads towards the nearest damaged stretch of road. Behind you, the girls exchange looks, before hopping off the roof, also headed in towards the... disaster area.
Closer in, you can see the extent of the damage. The roads are completely torn up in the wake of Kuvira's construct passing, and while she avoided the cars, there's... a few crashed into each other, in the chaos of her passage. A few pedestrians lie at the sides of the street - trampled in the crush of people trying to get away?
You sigh. Time to get to work. You set down nearby, waving everybody off, and loft the platform up towards the rooftop level to shadow you indiscreetly. Rin looks around, face pale, and darts over to the nearest person, pressing a hand to his chest. Sakura throws you a glare, and follows protectively.
You see a man in the bright orange of a firefighter's costume standing next to a car, and you dart over, Mami close behind. "What's-" Before the word properly leaves your mouth, though, you can already see the problem - the car's roof is crumpled in, jamming the door shut, with the driver slumped against the cracked window, and someone in the passenger's seat. They'd need special tools to get it open - and he's probably waiting for just that.
The firefighter double-takes at your appearance. "Miss, I thin-"
"We're here to help," you say calmly, shouldering past the man. You call Grief to your hand, forming a deep purple blade you rapidly slice around the car door. You brace yourself, and with a grunt of effort, heave the door entirely off the car.
Mami steps forward, ribbons flowing smoothly out to wrap around the driver and his passenger - a young man and woman, possibly a couple?. Her ribbons move far more dextrously than any human hand could, gently rearranging their limbs to extract them.
The fireman stares, his lips moving in what looks like a prayer, before shaking the stupor off. "Lady spirit, please, be careful of their necks." Mami nods, and the ribbons wind up around their bodies, easing them carefully out of the car.
He steps forward as Mami gently lays them on the ground, barking location information into his radio, before glancing at you. "Lady spirits, please, the road by block 37 needs the help more. Two blocks that way. They can't get the trucks in."
You nod sharply, looking at Rin and Sakura, heaving a man up across the street. You gesture at them, and take off at a run.
Pelting footsteps behind you - Rin and Sakura. You can see the emergency vehicles drawn up ahead, emergency lights flashing, and you blow right past the barricades.
This is the area you took out Moe. Up above, you can see the hole torn in the side of the building from Moe being smashed into the building. Scorched trenches are scored deeply into the side of that same building - Sasami's beams, going wild, and rubble fills the street.
The people trying to impede you stop trying when you and Mami bodily heave a car out of a wall, exposing the driver-side door, and Rin slaps a hand against the driver's hand, the deep lacerations on his chest and arms closing up.
"Sakura," you say as you work.
"Fuck you," she says, seemingly on reflex.
"Are you willing to work around Akiko? Because I'm still willing to help you, if you stop your extortion racket and other... such business."
Three presences, incoming over the rooftops - Chouko, flying the Suzuki sisters, in turn gently carrying two bodies. They land near Rin, who heals them and waves in paramedics with stretchers.
"Fuck," Sakura says. "We fucking lost, I get that. I'm still not the person to fucking talk to."
"Akiko bloody well needs help. You saw how she was acting earlier," you say evenly. You glance up at the building where you know Moe's body is.
A long pause, this time. "Fuck."
"Do you have any idea why?" you ask. A corner of your mind directs Grief in towards the building. You remember roughly where her body fell, you think, and you scoop it up a moment later.
"Her fucking Wish," Sakura snaps. "Her fucking Wish, OK? She made her Wish for Setsuko."
A chill goes down your spine, even as your body keeps moving, working to heave aside a chunk of rubble. "Can you explain in more detail?"
"Jesus fuck," Sakura growls. "Back when everything was all fucking sunshine and rainbows and we didn't fucking know better, it was just four of us. Yumi, Setsuko, me, and Izumi. Akiko fucking crushes on Setsuko, and goes and makes a fucking wish for her. Got that?"
"Yeah," you say slowly. Yeah. Yeah, you think you do.
[] Write-in
=====​
Just a note - updates may be a little sporadic next week. Uni's starting again, so first week rush and all that. Huzzah.
Last edited: Jan 11, 2015
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 42
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 13, 2015

- #25,049

"Miss Sabrina, could I request a cleansing?" Rin's voice intrudes in your little reverie.
"Of course," you say, looking around and catching Mami's eye. You gesture over at Rin, and she nods in understanding. You crouch slightly, and push off the ground powerfully. Sheets of rain wash off your billowing longcoat as you soar over the torn up road, ripped up by the passage of literal tons of metal. Why had Kuvira even passed by here, anyway? Had she been looking for where Moe fell?
You remember what you did to her, Grief blades shearing effortlessly through cloth and flesh and bone, and Mami's strident, furious call of 'Tiro Finale!'. And you think of her broken body, scooped up on your platform of Grief.
A problem you know that you can solve, and a problem for later.
You crash to a landing beside Rin, kicking up gravel and flecks of muddy sand. Chouko's there, cradling a young man in her arms. It makes for an odd tableau, a butterfly winged girl with a long braid, effortlessly holding up someone who must weigh nearly twice what she does. Rin steps forward, hands already glowing with magic, before nodding sharply. Chouko turns, deposits the man into a waiting stretcher, and launches herself skyward as an awed looking medical worker wheels the man away.
Rin turns her gaze to you, her expression a little lighter than it was earlier despite her obvious weariness. You smile encouragingly at her. She tips her Soul Gem towards you, and you draw away the darkness swirling within with a gesture. "Doing OK?" you send to her.
"Yes," she says, as the paramedic returns hesitantly with a fresh stretcher, ready for the next casualty.
"Good to hear," you reply, turning to return to the work.
"Sakura, Rin," you say, reaching out to the both of them as you work alongide Mami to pull aside more of the torn up street.
"Fu- yeah?" Sakura replies.
You take a shuddering breath, bearing another person to the edges of the wrecked zone, careful to avoid jostling what might be a fractured collarbone. Nasty injury, that, and you're glad the woman's unconscious.
"I want this to end well for you girls, too," you tell them. "That was, and remains, true. But things need to change. If you're willing to cooperate, to work with other groups, and not follow Akiko's... quixotic madness, I still want to help you. What do you want?"
There's no response, the silence lasting for long enough for you to reach the triage area by a group of ambulances, illuminated harshly by emergency floodlights that catches the falling raindrops. You carefully lower the woman to a wheeled stretcher waiting for you. The paramedic, a weathered looking, older man, gives you a nervous bow before wheeling the woman away.
Finally, Rin sighs. "Peace sounds good."
"Yeah, I guess," Sakura says. "Fuck. Look, try and understand our fucking position. Akiko's a fucking good leader, right? She's kept us good with Grief Seeds for fucking years."
You trot back to join Mami in heaving aside an overturned car. Apart from small splatters of blood, there's nobody still inside, something you heave a quiet sigh of relief over. "Oh, I get that," you say pleasantly. "I'm still willing to let it slide. Hell, the University girls said they're willing to let it slide, if you fucking leave them alone. Means leaving the Ishinomaki girls alone, too."
"Jesus fuck, Akiko'll never go for it," Sakura mutters.
"I-" Rin pauses. "If that's the case... I think she should follow, instead of leading." Uncharacteristic steel rings in her voice.
You look at her over your shoulder in surprise, and emerald green eyes meet yours, her chin rising defiantly. Your eyebrows rise, and you give her a slow nod of acknowledgement.
"Hmmm," you say. "Can't say I disagree. On the subject of Akiko... what can you tell me about Setsuko, anyway?"
Sakura grunts in irritation. "What's to say? Pretty, in that... bishie kinda way. She was... cool."
"No, I mean, how'd she disappear, that kinda thing," you say.
"Fuck," Sakura mutters. "Look, I don't know, OK?"
You look around, and see her using her katana so carve her way into a car. She meets your eyes, and speaks directly to you.
"Rin doesn't know the fucking story," Sakura says without preamble, poking her head into the car to check. "And I'm not fucking tellin' her Akiko told us to lie to her."
"Alright," you say. "She won't hear it from me." Privately, you think that she's not very good at this whole subterfuge thing, what with Rin watching the two of you.
"Akiko made her fucking wish. Everything's peachy," Sakura says, the words rattling out as fast as she can say them. "Setsuko doesn't fuckin' return the crush, but Akiko... I don't fucking know, is happy just to be around her, and she's pretty damned fucking good at hunting and negotiating and stuff. So yeah. Then one fucking fine day Izumi ups and fucking gets eaten. Setsuko runs away, Akiko runs after. A couple days later, Akiko comes back alone and here we fucking are."
"That... a few days, you say?" you muse thoughtfully.
"Yes, a few fucking days. A week. Something like that. Before you fucking ask, I don't fucking know, OK," Sakura says. "Akiko's the only one who fucking does, and good fucking luck there. Only thing I know for sure is that that's the fucking point she starts going full fucking tilt against Ishinomaki."
You sigh. Not as helpful as you'd hoped. Lots of sighing to go around, lately... "Thanks," you say.
"Fuck you. It's not like I'm doing it for yo-" Sakura stops midsentence, realizing what she's about to say. "Shut the fucking hell up. I'm not doing it for you. Just... Fuck. I saw how Akiko was fucking acting earlier, too."
"Mm," you say. You close your eyes, thinking for a moment. You hear soft footsteps behind you, and feel a light touch on your shoulder. It's Mami, a worried, questioning look in her eyes. You smile reassuringly at her, and step close to bump your shoulder against hers. "I'm OK. Just thinking."
Mami smiles back. "About the Sendai girls?"
"Yeah," you agree. "Them, the University girls, the Fukushima girls... and about the future," you say truthfully. You can't shake the corner of your mind that thinks that daydreaming about experiments and the Incubator's methods and so forth is a fine idea.
"I'm sure you'll figure out something, Sabrina," Mami says, her belief in you almost a tangible thing as she moves off to check another car. You fall in step beside her, walking close to her.
"Thank you, Mami," you say. She beams at you, smile undiminished by the rain continuing to pelt down.
The street seems clear, now. Not that many crashed or trapped cars, or people.
More than you'd like, in any case.
You walk over to the triage point. "Where else needs help?" you ask the first medical worker you come across.
The medical worker, a stocky, stolid looking woman, shakes her head. "Ma'am, you girls have been a great help... we couldn't ask for more."
"But is there anywhere else that needs help?" you ask, a little more insistently.
"No, ma'am. We can take it from here," she says.
"Alright," you say, nodding.
Hesitantly, the woman bows deeply in response, before straightening and giving you a crooked smile. "My daughter loves magical girl shows. She'll be thrilled when I tell her you're real."
You grimace a little. "Tell her not to trust talking white cats, if she sees one." If you remember this, you add mentally.
You take a breath, and reopen your mental communication to Rin and Sakura as you walk away, gesturing at . "Well. Moving on. Rin, you suggested Yumi as a substitute a while earlier... Do you think that's still on the table?"
Rin looks up at you, then Sakura. Sakura responds. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe. Look, bigger question isn't who's gonna lead, it's what's going to happen now."
You sigh again. "Point taken. And hey... For what it's worth, I never wanted it to come to this. I just wanted the war to stop before anyone got killed."
Sakura grunts. "You think we did?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Reminder again. Points, not specific phrasings!
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 43
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 14, 2015

- #25,248

Alright then. You take a deep breath. "When we're all done, we'll meet back up on that roof earlier," you send out telepathically to all the girls here.
"Right," Chouko replies, on behalf of the rest of the University girls.
"On my way," Noa says.
"Yeah, yeah," Sakura says. "I gotta fucking go with you, don't I?"
Rin looks at you, and simply nods, while footsteps splashing through the rain puddling on the broken road behind you is Kirika walking up, her smile a little faded. Mami, of course, is at your side, ready to follow you.
"OK," you say to the small group here. "I'm going to wing by to pick up Koizumi's and Tanaka's... bodies, first. So let's go."
You lead the way to the rooftops, Mami following beside you, Kirika a step behind. Sakura and Rin aren't too far behind, either, as the five of you bound across the city, cutting through the falling rain and darkness. From this elevation, you can see the path Kuvira... Atsuko... took through the city, obvious by the torn up roads. She'd travelled maybe a few kilometers.
Emergency lights are visible far below on the streets, now pulling away from the disaster area. That's... somewhat reassuring, you think - it means that the worst is over, and the immediate casualties have been recovered, right?
You swing past the carnage, and you pass the rooftop where you'd first been ambushed. A neat pair of vaguely Akiko-shaped craters in the concrete there, trenches melted into the flagstones here, Tamiko's body still lying there, encased securely in Mami's ribbons.
You scoop up the body without pausing in your run, immediately hanging direction and heading for where you remember Sasami fell.
...
It's kinda morbid, really. You glance back at the platform you've got shadowing you still, essentially a flying mausoleum. Or meat wagon. They're not actually dead, true, but you're carting around a whole bunch of inanimate bodies. That's morbid no matter how you slice it.
Yep.
You've got an enormous amount of Grief chasing you, too, at a guess, enough to pack a small room solid. Some from Hildegarde's Seed, some stolen from Akiko's and Sakura's Grief Seeds, some from cleansing... there's a lot of it, all told, and you're probably going to have to do something about it later.
Always with that word.
Eh.
When you crash to a landing on that roof near the radio tower -an office building, it looks like- you find that the University girls and Noa are already there, avoiding looking at each other and impatiently awaiting your arrival.
"Hello, and sorry, I had to go and pick up Tamiko and Koizumi," you say. Unit 00 and Ramiel, in other words. There's almost certainly some kind of joke in there.
Chouko nods. "We understand," she says.
"Alright," you say. "Rin, could you heal the injuries? Everyone's injuries?" you ask, gesturing at the Suzuki sisters. Absently, you form the Grief under your control, all of it, into spheres that you set orbiting the roof, deep purple orbs glinting as they catch the light reflected up from the streets below.
"Yes," Rin says quietly. She starts forward, summoning the now familiar emerald glow of her magic to her hands. "May I?" she asks, gesturing at Haru's burns.
"Yes," the white haired girl says, still eyeing Rin suspiciously. She looks like she's about to add something, before deciding the better of it.
You nod in satisfaction. "While that's happ-" a particularly fat raindrop smacks onto the bridge of your nose, and you blink in annoyance. "Mami, um, could you put up an awning?" you ask, softening the request with a quick smile.
"Of course, Sabrina," she replies, raising her hand. Golden ribbons explode out, anchoring themselves in the four corners of the roof and weaving together overhead into a arched canopy that sheds the rain effortlessly.
You give Mami an appreciative smile, and she smiles back.
Rin finishes up with Haru, and turns to Rei. The plant controller inspects herself, before grudgingly nodding her approval.
You start again, mainly addressing Chouko and Noa. "Anyway, as I was saying. Now that all the fighting is done... I suggest that we wake them up, Hamasaki excepted, to talk this out."
Yuko, prodding at her freshly healed arm, looks up at you. "Why should we? We won."
"I doubt you want to kill them, or leave them as pieces of jewelry, so..." you shake your head.
"Maybe we should!" she says, but there's no real heat in her voice, and neither does she meet your eyes.
"I agree with Miss Sabrina," Chouko says, speaking slowly. "Can I request that they be restrained while we do so?"
"Yes, I was thinking just that," you agree. "But we are going to have to release them eventually. Not much of negotiations if one side's tied up."
Chouko nods slowly.
"Are there any more injuries?" Rin inquires, stepping back from Kirika, who grins happily at her.
A chorus of negatives, all around, and you shake your head.
Mami touches you on the shoulder. "Sabrina, your arm," she says, looking alarmed.
Your...
Your arm.
You'd forgotten about it.
You raise your arm, shaking back the sleeve of your long coat and undershirt to display it, an ugly, mottled mass of dark bruises. Internal bleeding from a broken bone. You hold it out to Rin.
You don't even feel it, having shoved the pain into some dark corner of your mind.
Mami hisses out a sympathetic breath, her hand tightening on your shoulder. Rin clicks her tongue disapprovingly, and plays her healing light over your arm, bruises fading and bone shifting in a distinctly disquieting manner under your flesh as she does so.
While she does that, a twist of your will brings your platform down to this rooftop, settling behind you. It's... really quite ghoulish. But it's something you need to do. A hush falls on the rooftop as the platform arrives, and Rin steps back from you.
"Thanks," you say to Rin.
She's not exactly listening, though, her eyes staring over your shoulder.
You glance back, and see your platform arriving, carrying the bodies of Yumi, Kuvira, Sasami, Tamiko, and...
Moe.
Moe, with her missing arm and leg. With her torso and hips barely connected by a few strands of muscle and skin, blood pooling and diluted to a pale pink by the falling rain.
Mami sucks in a breath, face going pale at the sight of the corpse. And it very much is a corpse, at this point. Even Sakura looks faintly disturbed, glancing first at you, then Mami and Kirika.
Mami presses her lips firmly together, shaking her head slightly. She shuffles a step closer to you and brushes her hand lightly against yours. You oblige the unspoken request and grab her hand, interlacing your fingers with hers and squeezing lightly.
"Umm... yeah," you say lamely. "Uh. Sorry, I uh... kinda forgot about that. Rin, could you?" A fraction of your will makes a little hole in Moe's corner of your platform, letting the blood drain away.
"Right, yes," Rin says, taking a deep breath and stepping forward with her hands glowing.
"OK, then," you say. You pull Tamiko forward onto the roof, Mami helping you. She anticipates your next move, and binds the girl with ribbons - not the full body cocoons, but less restrictive, less claustrophobic bindings around Tamiko's wrists and ankles.
You remove Tamiko's Soul Gem from your pocket, a small, domed orange disc, and hand it to Sakura. She grimaces as she accepts it, and moves to kneel by Tamiko's side before pressing it into the girl's hand.
The first sign of life is a violent inhalation and a flinch, hands rising in a warding position. Sakura catches her by the shoulders, pressing her down. "Tamiko, it's OK. It's OK."
The girl slowly calms down, her hands clenched tightly around her Soul Gem as she stares around at the University girls. When her eyes fall on you and Mami, they turn quizzical for a moment, before shifting to worry as she looks at Sakura.
"Yeah, we fucking lost," the teleporter grumbles. "We're... negotiating."
Tamiko nods, and she looks at you. "What do you intend, Miss Sabrina?" an unfamiliar voice sounds in your head, a pleasant, light alto.
"Peace, Miss Tanaka," you say, meeting her gaze steadily. "We are willing to let you up, if you agree to abide by a ceasefire for now."
She glances at Sakura, and then back at you, nodding slightly.
Mami's ribbons flow away, and Tamiko remains in her seated position, apparently unconcerned by the puddle of cold water she's seated in.
Without anything else to do, you move to retrieve Yumi's body, wincing as you note the way the grey robes of her puella magi costume are stained red by Moe's blood. Mami's ribbons flow in, wrapping securely around the gravity controller's wrists and ankles, and you flash Mami a quick smile.
Again, you pass the Soul Gem to Sakura, but Tamiko rather firmly takes it from the teleporter's hands, before moving to wake Yumi up herself.
Yumi flails, on waking, hands snatching for something that isn't there before spasmodically closing around her Soul Gem. Tamiko leans into her, presumably talking to her by telepathy, while Sakura kneels at her side and eventually, the gravity controller calms down. The glare she shoots you is more than a tad heated, but Rin walks over, interrupting the glare. You glance over, and see that Moe's body is restored, and whole once more.
Finally, the four of them look up at you. "We're done," Rin says.
"Miss Tsubaki?" you ask, glancing at Chouko. She nods.
A thought occurs to you, and you address Noa. "Miss Ueda, I'm sorry, but you don't mind waiting, do you?"
"I do not," Noa confirms, having taken advantage of Mami's rain shelter to try to dry her enormous twintails a little more.
"OK, then," you say, gesturing for everyone to gather. You gather in a loose circle, the University girls on one side, the Sendai girls on the other. Both sides look wary, the Sendai girls more so, at a glance, though... Rin's arms are firmly crossed in front of her, her face set in determination. Mami and Kirika flank you, and Noa stands to Kirika's far side, hands clasped patiently in front of her.
"Alright. First things first," you say. "As is obvious, Miss Hamasaki has not been revived, because I do not feel that she is in a fit state of mind to make decisions. Sakura can bear witness to this." The teleporter nods reluctantly, face set in mulish discontent, and you face the Sendai girls. "Would you object to Miss Minami representing you?"
The Sendai girls exchange looks, and they take a few minutes that stretch out into an eternity to discuss it before Yumi looks up at you. "That's fine."
"OK, then," you say, crossing your arms. You know you cut an intimidating figure, framed by your longcoat and bracketed by Mami and Kirika, a few motes of Grief drifting around your for emphasis while the majority orbits around the roof in a vast, slowly turning orrery. "These are my ground terms. No more fighting between you. No more extortion."
Yumi nods slowly, her lips compressed into a straight line. "Acceptable," she says. "We'll... convince Akiko."
Chouko simply nods.
"Alright. Miss Tsubaki? What do you want?" you ask.
"We would be grateful for a lasting peace," Chouko says, holding her hands out. "We want a chance to go back to our lives."
"I want to know what's going to happen in the future," Yuko says, looking at you. There's no heat, no anger in her gaze, just... simple weariness, in her slumped shoulders and tired eyes. "So OK, Hamasaki's been kicked out of this little... conference. You did that earlier, and..." she waves at the rooftop, and the damage in the distance.
That's... a good question, and one you've been struggling to answer yourself.
[] Write-in
=====​
From an earlier draft:

> The girl sucks in a violent breath, and bolts upright, hands rising to grab for something in front of her. Sakura catches her by the shoulders, pressing her down. "Yumi, it's fucking OK. Wait fuck I didn't mean to say that."
> Click to expand...
> Click to shrink...

Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 44
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 16, 2015

- #25,434

"Miss Minami?" you ask, giving Yumi a neutral look. "How do you plan on convincing Hamasaki? Given her... prior actions... you understand that we will have... difficulties trusting that she won't immediately call in more mercenaries, or work to undermine any agreement made in her absence?"
Yumi grimaces at the attention now directed at her. "I don't see a choice," she says. "Not now that we're beaten. I'll talk Akiko down."
You shake your head. "That's not really good enough," you say. "I understand that previously, you girls followed Hamasaki without question. Can you guarantee that things will change, going forward? And even so, with her connections and stockpile of Grief Seeds, she can do an enormous amount of damage, if she pursues her vendetta." You pause, and add with gentle emphasis, "She already has."
The Sendai girls stiffen at the mention of their stockpile. "I'm not proposing to confiscate your Grief Seeds," you say smoothly, concealing the fact that you're, well, giving it serious consideration. "But I hope you understand my concern, Miss Minami."
An unexpected voice speaks up. "What if you did?" You glance at Rin in surprise, finding her giving Yumi a steady, unwavering look. "What if we were to willing give up some of that stockpile?"
"No," Yumi snaps. "I mea-"
Rin holds up her hand, an unaccustomed look of determination on her face, her shoulders set stubbornly. "No, I know that our s-souls are in our Soul Gems. I know we'll d-die if we don't get enough Grief Seeds. But haven't we deprived them of Grief Seeds?"
Sakura looks... startled, blinking at Rin with both her eyebrows arched high on her forehead. Tamiko frowns minutely, a pensive frown flickering across her face as she purses her lips in thought.
You watch, face carefully blank. Mami bumps her hand against yours, and you oblige, grabbing her hand again. She makes a contented little sound, and presses a little closer to you.
Sakura speaks up. "Those are ou-" Her speech falters halfway through the sentence.
"I've seen what fighting over Grief Seeds gets us," Rin says, her hands clenching. "I heard it, Sakura. I heard the screaming. And you told me to stay there, at the back." She looks at you, then the University girls, her eyes hard and resolute. "Would it be enough, Miss Tsubaki? If we gave you our Seed stockpile?"
... unexpected.
Tamiko's pensive frown shifts into a heavier, inscrutable frown, while Yumi presses her lips flat in an unhappy, ruler straight line. Sakura looks conflicted and annoyed.
You cough lightly. "Rin... Ultimately, we could leave this city without either side feeling mistreated. There can't be... facets that'll cause conflict in the future."
Haru sighs. "Two years too late to prevent mistreatment."
"Haru!" Chouko says, glaring a rebuke at the white haired girl.
"No, no," you say diplomatically. "It's fair enough, I guess." You carefully avoid noting that you weren't around two years ago. You decide not to directly address Rin's proposal for now. It's on the table, you guess, but you need to think about how to address it properly, judging from the reactions.
"Look, I want... if not for you to get along, then for you to at least coexist in peace and maybe cooperate. My position remains the same. I'm willing to come and help ease the pressure of hunting and magical girl life, with my powers, on a..." you rock your free hand from side to side, "... semi regular basis? And emergencies, of course."
Mami's hand tightens on yours, fractionally, and you squeeze back reassuringly.
"Ultimately, I want you to at least try to cooperate," you say. "And I have a suggestion... it's really just a suggestion. Miss Tsubaki, it seems to me that your problem is that you haven't had the breathing room to build up a buffer of Grief Seeds, correct?"
Chouko nods. "You... could say that," she allows.
"Well, I think it's reasonable for every girl I can access to have a buffer of Seeds," you say firmly, quashing the faint twinge of guilt over your... insistent imposition of your world view. Only your opinion, you remind yourself. "So how about this. I accept used Grief Seeds, and for every three, I return two refreshed ones. The last one, I redistribute to whoever needs it."
The University girls and the Sendai girls exchange wary, faintly baffled looks, neither seeming to want to be the first to speak. Eventually, Chouko does. "It's a... nice idea," she begins. "But... do you propose to drop by every time we fill a Grief Seed? We can't... keep them for too long."
"About a day, Sabrina," Mami supplies, an apologetic, faintly worried tone in her voice. "You can only keep a full Grief Seed about a day... maybe a little more... before they hatch again. They're... right. Sorry."
You squeeze her hand lightly, trying to reassure her. "Thanks, Mami," you tell her. You frown slightly, thinking about your next move.
[] Write-in
=====​
Wait, Rin, what's up with you?
Last edited: Jan 16, 2015
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 45
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 17, 2015

- #25,672

You press your lips together, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry," you say. "I... I have a... somewhat different perspective of Grief and Grief Seeds than most, thanks to my powers." You can feel Noa's sharp gaze, the girl from Tokyo observing you thoughtfully.
Sakura snorts loudly, and you can see her lips twitch. You can already hear the 'Fuck you' before Tamiko nudges her sharply in the ribs. The teleporter grunts and subsides in annoyance.
"So, yes," you say. "My apologies for that. Just go ahead and correct me if I make mistakes again, OK?"
Nods all around.
"Sorry, Sabrina," Mami says, voice still apologetic.
You squeeze her hand. "Don't be, Mami. Thank you for telling me."
"Anyway, moving on," you say, flapping your hand in the air. "OK, so if full Seeds are problematic, then how about half filling them?" You spread your hands. "Half fill them, then keep it and use a new one. Does that work?"
Chouko frowns, considering. "We don't have enough Seeds to make it like that."
"Which, yes, is part of my concern," you nod. "How many Seeds do you need a week, roughly? What kind of intervals would be best for me to drop by?"
Chouko exchanges a look with Yuko, and the Suzuki sisters. The Sendai girls seem to consider this, too, likely communicating via telepathy. Rin folds her arms in front of her, her usually soft face set hard as she frowns at Yumi.
Mami squeezes your hand lightly. "Sabrina..." she says, voice soft. "I think you're overwhelming them."
"I want this to work, Mami," you reply. "I want to help them."
Mami smiles softly at you. "I know. Just... try not to push them too hard? I'm sure you know what you're doing, though."
"I hope so too," you say drily.
"We use... about two Grief Seeds every week," Yumi says, clearly fighting to keep her face blank. Haru blinks, and then glares at that little reminder, followed by her sister and Yuko. The gravity controller flinches minutely before continuing. "That... doesn't include hunting, or Rin's healing circuits. Or Akiko's trips."
"More than that," Chouko says. "Maybe four or five. We have to hunt more." She says it flatly, gaze fixed on Yumi.
"Right," you say loudly, glancing around the loose circle of people standing on the roof. "So three or four a week, let's call it four. And if you're only half filling them, call it, say, triple that."
Chouko nods.
"And it doesn't mean that you can't fill up the Seeds the rest of the way either," you continue, expounding on your idea. "I mean, you still can, in an emergency."
"Miss Minami, are you willing to supply the twelve Seeds for Miss Tsubaki and her group?" you ask, transfering your gaze to the grey haired girl.
Yumi frowns. "We can."
"Will you do it, then?" you ask, folding your arms. "Well actually," you say, holding up a hand and eyeing Yumi, Tamiko, and Sakura. "I should say that this is just a suggestion, if you have any other ways of dealing with this you'd prefer, I'm willing to hear it out."
"A bit fucking late to be saying that, no?" Sakura says sourly, pulling a face. "Yeah, yeah, your solution's fucking great. Can't fucking see much wrong with it."
Tamiko nods slightly. Rin, her arms still crossed, inclines her head in agreement, and out of the corner of your eye, you can see Noa's twintails sway as she turns to give you another considering look. Kirika, standing between you and Noa, turns to the Tokyo girl and... well, you guess she pulled a face, by the way Noa arches an eyebrow and looks away.
"We'll do it," Yumi says, looking from the rest of her group to you, then Chouko.
A smile emerges on Yuko's face, her entire body jerking from its slouched, tired posture, while an identical smile spreads across the Suzuki sister's faces like the break of dawn. Chouko sags in very visible relief, tightly wound tension seeping from her shoulders, but only for a moment, before she visibly forces herself to straighten. She inclines her head, and then dips into a half-bow. "Thank you."
To your surprise, Rin bows back. "I... think we've caused you enough trouble. This is... not anywhere near recompense, not by far."
"You don't know how much of a relief this is," Chouko says quietly. "So thank you, regardless." The bluenette turns, bowing to you - this time, far more deeply, bending nearly ninety degrees at the waist. "Thank you too, Miss Sabrina."
You wave it off. "It's what I came here to do," you say. To fix things, to improve the lives of magical girls. To impose your brand of thinking, your way of doing things on the magical girls here.
What's the difference?
"So, one last thing," you say, hiding your inner turmoil. "There's... well, there's a trick, or a technique, I guess, I've been working on - I can empty a Grief Seed a little more than is usual so that it accepts more Grief before being filled, but I'm... not sure it's completely safe. It's something that..." you waggle your free hand. "It's a project I'm working on, if I get it working, well..." you spread that hand demonstratively.
Chouko nods, brows creased in vague puzzlement. You can practically read her thoughts - I'm not even surprised.
Rin bobs her head. "That would be helpful. More than helpful."
Yumi sighs. "Shall we... go retrieve the Grief Seeds now?" she asks. "And... if you don't mind my asking, what's to be done with Akiko and our... allies from Fukushima?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Whelp.
Last edited: Jan 17, 2015
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 46
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 18, 2015

- #25,940

"Yes, please do," you say, inclining your head at Yumi.
Yumi shakes a shuddering breath, and nods. "By your leave, then," she says. "Sakura?" She holds out a hand.
A thought occurs to you, and you bring Sakura's Gem in front of her, still contained in the sphere of Grief. The sphere dilates, presenting the Hem to her. The teleporter looks like she's sucking on an entire lemon as she snatches the Gem back before grabbing Yumi's hand, glaring sourly at the ground. She frowns, concentrating for a moment, before the pair of them snap away with the familiar noise.
You look to your left. Kirika grins at you, fang poking out, before transitioning into a massive, jaw cracking yawn that makes your own ache in sympathy. You're not entirely sure if it's just that she's bored or that it's somewhere near midnight now, at a guess. The clouds are too thick to see the moon for a guess, anyway. Past her is Noa, the Tokyo girl looking quietly contemplative.
Past her are the University girls, now closed into their own little circle as they talk to each other, radiating quiet relief and disbelieving joy in their posture. The quick, unsure smiles flashing back and forth, the clasped hands for physical reassurance...
On your right, Mami, still holding your hand. Her half lidded golden eyes crinkle into a warm smile at you, and you return it.
Vwwp.
Sakura returns with Yumi at her side, the grey haired girl clutching two plastic bags, visibly indented from the inside by their cargo of Grief Seeds. Yumi steps forward, holding one of the bag out to you.
You shake your head, and look at Chouko instead. "Miss Tsubaki?" you say, gesturing at Yumi. "And..." you look at Yumi, holding her eyes with your own for a moment. "This... this way will be better for everyone in the long run. I promise." Your look at the rest of the Sendai girls. Rin sees you looking, her green eyes hooded and tired. But she gives you a nod that's almost a bow, a flash of a smile showing on her face. You return the bow. Tamiko is... inscrutable, pushing back her long, orange hair while regarding you quietly.
Sakura rolls her eyes at you.
It will be better for everyone in the long run, you repeat to yourself. It's... it's for the good of everyone.
And that's not really a good line of thought.
Chouko's motions are hurried as she moves over, hand already reaching out for the bags before she checks herself. She stops in front of Yumi, and hesitates for a moment before bowing to the gravity controller. "Thank you."
Yumi, looking faintly surprised, returns the bow in silence, before holding the bag in front of her. Chouko takes it with a quiet rustle of plastic, hands moving quickly and closing convulsively on the handle of the bag. She almost snatches it towards her chest, bowing deeply to Yumi, and then you in turn before she turns back to her friends.
They don't pass the Grief Seeds out, but Chouko hands the bag to Yuko, who peeks inside it with a dazed, pleased look, before she passes it to Rei, who in turn passes it to Haru, who runs her hand through the bag with faint clinking noises.
A stray thought crosses your brain - why don't the pointed bottoms of the Grief Seeds punch holes in the plastic bag?
You huff out a breath.
Next order of business, then.
"Miss Minami," you say, drawing her attention away from watching the University girls. "If you don't mind, we'll be hanging on to Akiko for a while longer. I want to try and find out what's..." you fumble for a word, before continuing, "... what's wrong with her, and help her if I can."
Mami's fingers tighten on yours, and Yumi frowns. "I understand," she says, looking wary. Sakura sets her jaw stubbornly, crossing her arms and seemingly ready to retort, before Rin gives her a sharp look. Even Tamiko seems perturbed by your declaration, looking questioningly at Rin.
Rin nods calmly, accepting your statement without question.
"Alright," you say. "Then the next order of business will be the Fukushima girls. I'll wake them up, and I'd appreciate your help in keeping them calm."
This goes down a lot easier, Yumi nodding in acceptance. "Yes, we'll help."
"By the way, speaking of which," you say. "You can afford to pay them, right? And you still have enough Grief Seeds for yourself?"
"Yes, we do," Yumi says, looking slightly evasive.
You snort. "However many you have leftover isn't my business, as long as you have enough for yourselves and aren't... up to something nefarious."
The gravity controller nods, grey hair bobbing with the motion.
"Ah, excuse me, Miss Sabrina?" Chouko asks, clutching the bag of Grief Seeds in her hands. "Would it be acceptable if we... went aside for a moment? Just the next roof over, say?"
"Uh, sure," you say. "It's still raining, though."
"That's not a problem," Chouko says, accompanied by affirmative nods from her friends.
"Then, yeah, I guess?" you say. You're guessing they want to get away from the Sendai girls so that they can express themselves more freely?
"May I accompany you?" Noa speaks up, glancing sidelong at you. "By your leave, of course, Miss Sabrina?"
You shrug. "If they're OK with it, sure," you agree. "Miss Tsubaki?"
Chouko looks quizzical, as do her friends, puzzled glances abounding. "I suppose?" she replies.
Noa bows politely. "Thank you. I shall not get in the way, I merely wish to ask a few questions."
Chouko's confusion fades slightly, and she nods, looking more sure of herself. "You're welcome," she says, bowing shallowly in return, before turning to join her friends. They leap across to the next roof over, Noa following behind them.
"Alright, then," you say. You flex your will, and Grief shifts to deposit Moe on the roof, from the... floating mausoleum you have. Reminded of its existence, the Sendai girls give it and Moe's body equally uncomfortable looks.
Rin did good work, Moe's body fully healed, smoothly unblemished skin showing beneath rips in a modest, heavily ruffled black dress, a single, asymmetrical dark red glove on her hand. You can see where you tore her Soul Gem away from the wrist of her glove, worn like a watch.
You kneel down next to her, slipping her Gem out of your pocket.
"Kirika?" you ask.
The black haired girl snaps smartly to attention, before ruining the effect with another enormous yawn. "Yes?"
"Um... be ready to antimagic her if she tries to use her powers?" you ask. You glance around. There aren't any particularly deep shadows she could manipulate, so you think it should be OK. Not like she's demonstrated the ability to strangle you with them or something, anyway.
"Okies!" Kirika chirps.
You nod. "And, um, Mami?"
Mami smiles. "Of course."
Ribbons wrap securely around the girl's wrists and legs.
You nod in approval, as the Sendai girls hover, unsure of what to do. Yumi kneels down beside the Moe's body, opposite to you.
You take a deep breath, holding her Gem up for everyone to see, and then press it into her hand.
A breathless moment passes before Moe inhales sharply and her eyelids flick open, to reveal crimson eyes, wide and vacant in confusion. And then she screams.
It's a good scream, one delivered right from her diaphragm to bounce and echo off the buildings.
Moe bolts upright, before jerking up short against the ribbons. You can see her muscles flex under her skin, especially her formerly severed arm, before rational thought seems to slowly seep back into her mind as she glances around, her eyes flickering around.
Yumi raises her arms, gently pressing Moe back. "Miss Nishimura, you're-" a trace of hesitation, "-safe now. You're safe, it's alright."
Moe takes another breath, eyes still darting around, flickering from the Sendai girls to Kirika, you, then Mami. A touch of fear seems to enter her eyes, and she looks back at Yumi.
"W-what happened?" she asked. Her voice is a clear, warm contralto, completely at odds with the... well, you'd half expected a whispery, sbiliant voice to go along with her shadow powers.
"We lost," Yumi says baldly.
Moe squeezes her eyes shut, her head turning away. "Damn it," she mutters. "I knew this was a bad idea."
"Miss Nishimura," you say as gently as you can. "Your friends are OK. We don't want to hurt you, and the war's over. You... yes, you lost, and you hurt a lot of people doing it."
Relief flickers in her expression as she looks at you. "Sasami, Atsuko, they're OK?"
"Yes," you confirm. You nudge the body repository -there has be a better term for it- away from her line of sight. "Just, ah, neutralized."
"Oh," she says, grimacing, before her face settles into a neutral mask.
"Yes," you say, nodding firmly. "Before I let you go, could you answer some questions for me?"
You can feel a glare trying to burn a hole in the side of your head - Sakura, of course. She seems to disapprove of everything you do, on sheer principle.
Moe tries to sit up, and you reach out to help her up. You can feel her jerk away from your hand. "Ask away, Miss...?"
"I'm Sabrina. Just Sabrina," you introduce yourself. "This is Tomoe Mami, and Kure Kirika. Now... tell me about your group. Why did you take Miss Hamasaki's offer?"
The shadow controller's eyes narrow fractionally, her arms flexing against Mami's ribbons. "We owe her," she says slowly. "She waived part of the costs for healing we needed, in exchange for a favour. And she's paying us in Grief Seeds for this... or was." Her eyes fix on yours, unblinking. "You're the 'witch-girl'?"
[] Write-in
=====​
No, she does not have the sharingan.
Last edited: Jan 18, 2015
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 47
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 19, 2015

- #26,298

"Yes, I so believe someone's taken to calling me that recently," you say, glaring past Moe to Sakura. The teleporter crosses her arms, lips already shaping the words, before Rin nudges her sharply. She subsides, jaw set stubbornly.
You look back at Moe. "Do I have your agreement not to cause trouble?" you ask, meeting her crimson eyed stare, your own head tilted down to let your brows shadow your eyes. "We'll be quite happy to finish any trouble you feel like starting, but I don't want to keep you bound up like that, either. Then we can move on to waking your friends up, because I'm not going to repeat myself."
The shadow controller considers that for a moment, crimson eyes flicking between you, Mami, and Kirika. "Yes, you have my word," she says formally.
"Alright. Mami?" you ask. Mami nods, ribbons already rippling away from Moe's hands and wrists.
Moe remains sitting, flexing her wrists, before gently pushing herself to her feet. She rotates her shoulder in an exaggerated shrug, one hand questing over the... formerly absent limb. You rise smoothly alongside her, and take a step back to give her some room. Yumi stands too, moving backwards.
Next, then. Sasami, you think. An effort of will brings the... you're not going to call it a meat wagon, not even in your head... the hearse? No, that sounds even worse. You deposit Sasami's body on the rooftop and walk over, Mami, Kirika, Moe, and the rest of the Sendai girls trailing along in your wake.
Moe looks deeply uneasy at the sight of her friend's corpses, her eyes tracking the platform as you move it away, out of sight. She shudders, and moves over to Sasami's sides, kneeling beside her to grab her hand between both of hers. Another small shudder runs through her body, and Moe looks up at you, question in her eyes.
Even if they're mercenaries, and you're not even decided on that point, it still can't be easy to see what does amount to the corpses of your friends.
Sasami. Her costume's a cream coloured affair vaguely reminiscent of a plain ballgown, given character by a thousand tiny gems woven into the fabric, shimmering in the faint light cast by streetlights far below. Without prompting, Mami's already binding Sasami with ribbons, golden yellow bands contrasting sharply with the girl's dress.
You poke around in your dwindling collection of Soul Gems. Just three left - Sasami, Atsuko, and Akiko. That mad girl from Asunaro would probably be impressed by your collecting skills. Probably think you're rather odd for returning them, tho- why are you thinking about Asunaro?
You shake the thought from your head, and hand Sasami's Soul Gem to Moe. The shadow controller takes the small, smoky grey quartz-like Gem reverently with both hands, and places it on the girl's chest.
Sasami's awakening is quiet, her nostrils flaring as her chest expands in a huge inhale. Moe immediately pulls her into a tight hug, Sasami jerking instinctively and struggling violently. You can hear Moe whispering to her, the words indistinct but the tone clear. You're safe. It's OK.
The girl sags into the hug, her arms closing around Moe.
You wait patiently, still eyeing them warily. A quick look at Kirika reassures you that she's still poised and ready to intervene if necessary. Eventually, Sasami relaxes out of the hug, Moe letting her go. Sasami takes a deep breath, looking up at you, her hands clenched into fists.
You meet the gaze evenly.
Moe takes one of Sasami's hands, holding it between both of hers and gently teasing it out of the fist.
Sasami sighs, and looks away. "Thank you," she says grudgingly. "For your mercy."
You roll your eyes. "I'm not a monster. Has Miss Nishimura informed you of what happened?"
Sasami nods. "I surrender. I will not fight."
"OK," you say. Mami's ribbons twist and dissolve off the girl's limbs, and Moe helps her to her feet. Sasami winces as she rises, running her hands through her short blonde hair.
You nod as she stands there quietly, a corner of your mind already directing your Grief platform in to deposit the last member of their party on the rooftop. As Mami binds the girl, you pass Atsuko's Soul Gem to Moe, who recieves it with both hands. She hands it to Sasami, in turn.
Atsuko's wake up isn't particularly dramatic, Sasami and Moe both holding her in a tight hug as she re-orients on the world. They inform her of the current situation, and Mami releases her, the three of them standing in a short row in front of you.
"Alright, then," you say, looking at the three Fukushima girls in front of you, and the Sendai girls standing off to the side. "First point. I'm Sabrina, just Sabrina. This is Tomoe Mami, and Kure Kirika," you introduce yourself. "Who should I address?"
Without hesitation, Sasami steps forward, dress sparkling under the dim light. "I am Koizumi Sasami. This is Akiyama Atsuko, and Nishimura Moe."
"OK," you say, looking at Sasami. "Second point. I'm not going to interfere with your deal with Sendai," you say, gesturing at Yumi. "Admittedly, Hamasaki is no longer in charge, but however Miss Minami wants to handle it is between you."
"Lastly..." you draw in a deep breath. "What the hell were you thinking?" you roar. "Do you know how much collateral damage you idiots did?"
Kuvira -Atsuko- looks mutinous, opening her mouth to complain.
You ignore her, as you let your tightly controlled anger flare.
"I don't care," you snarl, stepping forward.
They step backwards.
You jab a finger at Atsuko, the metal controller leaning away from it like it's a live snake. "I don't care what you thought. The streets? At fucking rush hour? You tore up half the goddamned city in your rampage." Rounding on Sasami, you continue onwards, pent up rage venting itself. "And you! Miss fucking Ramiel! Do you know the concept of line of god damned fire? Look!"
You throw your arm wide, narrowing missing a wide-eyed Kirika to gesture at the damage, visible even from this distance and through the curtain of rain.
You sag, panting, still glaring furiously at the three.
They look surprised. Surprised, and faintly guilty.
Your nostrils flare as you fight for control over your temper. Mami steps closer to you, resting one hand on your shoulder. She has to reach up a little to do it.
"We just spent an hour doing rescue work," you grate out. "And that's on you. And." You close your breath, taking a deep breath, and blowing it out violently. Inhale blue, exhale red. "And I'm still going to offer you a deal, the same one I've been offering every group I've come across. It's up to you whether you want to hear it. Oh, and..."
The Grief Seeds you'd snatched from Moe drift to a halt in front of her. "These are yours," you say.
Hesitantly, and very nervously, the shadow controller plucks one from the air, pinching it between two fingers and looking as if she expects it to explode in her hands. When it doesn't, she carefully collects the others.
"Anyway," you say. "Discuss it, I guess? I won't force you to listen, and well, you're free to go."
Yumi steps forward tenatively, giving you a cautious glance. "I will honour the agreement... twenty Grief Seeds, and any healing necessary, which... has already been applied." She raises the other plastic bag of Grief Seeds.
Sasami nods at Yumi, and looks at you. "May we discuss this amongst ourselves?"
You nod. "Yes," you say.
Sasami turns to the rest of her group, the three standing quietly. Telepathy.
When you think about it, it's really quite odd looking. Just three girls in outlandish costumes, looking intently at each other. You know they're holding an intense conversation, but not a word passes their mouths.
Mami's hand on your shoulder shifts to your hand, which she holds tightly. You look at her, and she smiles at you, a trace of worry visible in the lines of her face. You smile back, trying to put reassurance into the expression. Mami ducks her head a little.
Finally, Sasami turns to face you again. She double takes at the sight of Mami holding your hand, her eyes snapping down and then back up to your face again. Mami blushes.
Sasami blinks, and a moment passes before she speaks. "We... thank you, Miss Sabrina, but we would prefer to leave, with our payment, if that's acceptable?"
[] Write-in
=====​

> [x] Dammit, Sakura
> Click to expand...
> Click to shrink...

You fold your arm behind your back, out of sight from Moe, and flip Sakura off.
Last edited: Jan 19, 2015
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 48
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 20, 2015

- #26,661

"Alright," you say, nodding. You... you'd really rather they listened. But you don't want to push too hard, either. So you'll let them go.
"Thank you," Sasami says, half turning away to face Yumi instead. The gravity controller holds out the bag of Grief Seeds, and Sasami receives them, bowing awkwardly. Yumi bows in return, equally awkwardly.
Sasami looks at Yumi for a moment longer, before her eyes dart to you.
"Thank you, Miss Minami, Miss Sabrina," Sasami says. "We will be leaving Sendai City now," she adds, the words stilted. She walks back to her group, and on some unspoken signal, all three walk to the edge of the roof and leap away into the darkness and rain.
Moe and Kuvira -Atsuko, dammit, but Kuvira is such a good name- are quickly lost to the shroud of rain, but Sasami remains visible, a glittering speck sparkling with multicoloured fire as her dress catches the light glowing up from the streets below.
With some satisfaction, you note that their path out of the city will take them over the worst of the devastation they themselves had wrought.
Mami's hand remains on yours, rough leather of her half glove and soft, warm skin of her fingers in stark contrast. You wonder about your own reaction, that sudden, bubbling font of rage, and Mami worrying for you. You... you shouldn't have gotten angry. Not like that.
Your hand tightens on Mami's, and she squeezes back, smiling up at you. That same, faintly worried expression as earlier. You smile back, and this time, Mami doesn't look away, the lines around her eyes easing slowly.
You look at Kirika. The black haired girl looks back, raising both her eyebrows and grinning at you. You try to look apologetic, and she rolls her eyes, grin unfaltering... until she yawns widely again, anyway. She shuts her mouth with a snap, grin resuming unabashedly.
You take a shuddering breath, letting the rest of your anger drain away, though you can feel what might be a migraine building at the back of your skull. It's psychosomatic, you tell yourself. You shouldn't even be able to have migraines any more.
Nevertheless. You cross your arms over your chest, patiently eyeing the University girls, on the next roof over. From the looks of it - four figures and then one standing in front of them, Noa's talking to them. Asking them about you, at a guess. You shift to looking at the Sendai girls instead; Sakura and Rin drawn off to the side, speaking to each other in hushed murmurs, Tamiko watching the pair with a distinctly thoughtful air, and Yumi looking... unhappy, or possibly worried.
The gravity controller meets your gaze, and she tries to clear her expression in favour of a neutral mask, but doesn't quite succeed. You try to look... less threatening, but you're not sure whether you succeeded, either.
Ah, well.
The University Girls choose to return at this point, Noa in tow. They all look considerably relieved, each of them bearing a giddy smile. You can feel the Grief Seeds that Yumi had given them spread around their number, each of them having taken three from the Grief Seeds.
They land on the rooftop, and nod at you, Chouko looking askance at you.
"The Fukushima girls have agreed to depart in peace, so we let them go," you say in response to the unspoken question. Noa gives you another sharp eyed look at that, seeming to consider that highly interesting.
Which reminds you.
"Hmm," you say, looking at Rin. The healings she's been dishing out have left her Grief levels... a shade high, and... Yumi's running a little high, too. You feel somewhat guilty for putting her on the spot, but well. And... yourself. Your own levels of Grief are somewhat higher than they should be. "Rin, you need a cleanse, right? And anyone else?"
Yumi hesitates, before nodding slowly. Sakura speaks up, to your surprise. "Fuck. Hit me too," she grunts.
"Eh, I'll just cleanse everyone, unless anyone has objections?" you ask, absently checking Sakura's Grief level. It's not high, about baseline since you'd last cleansed her. Which was... during the fight, you think? Huh. Odd.
A few shaken heads in response, including Noa's.
A casual wave of your hand pulls free corruption in thick, ropy streams that wisp into the air to join the constellation of spheres still drifting around the roof. Mami squeezes your hand lightly, giving you a grateful smile.
"Alright. Miss Ueda, are you ready to go home?" you ask the Tokyo girl, who's returned to trying to pat her voluminous twintails dry.
"... yes," she replies. "Though... it's possible that I will be in contact with you at a later time, if that's acceptable, Miss Sabrina?"
You shrug. "Yes, that's fine." You have a fair idea of what about, but well, it's the price of what you've done so far, you guess. Well. "Sakura, are you willing to send her back? I'll refresh your Grief Seeds for you afterwards?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sakura grumbles, stomping forward. "Fucking hell." She holds out an arm for Noa to take.
Noa stops to bow politely at you, Yumi, and Chouko before taking Sakura's arm. The teleporter, still looking thoroughly displeased with the universe at large, focuses, and vanishes with the familiar vwwp noise.
"Hmm," you say out loud. "OK. The next order of business is dealing with Miss Hamasaki, I feel." You look around seriously. "But I'm pretty sure it's going to go into some fairly personal matters, so I would prefer to talk to her alone." You transfer your gaze to Chouko. "Miss Tsubaki, I understand if you want to be around for the resolution of that, since Miss Hamasaki has been..." You pause, searching for a word.
"Kind of a bitch," Chouko supplies, before frowning slightly, considering it. "No, I think we're willing to leave it to you, Miss Sabrina."
"Then I'll pass you the relevant information by telepathy?" yu offer.
"That's fine," Chouko says.
"Alright," you agree. "While we wait, then, is there anything you'd like to ask me? Or tell me? Anyone?" You look around at the Sendai girls, including them in the question. Nobody seems to want to meet your gaze, though, avoiding your eyes. Nobody except for Rin, who gives you a sympathetic nod.
You roll your neck, feeling the tightness of your muscles. Pent up irritation, if not anger.
[] Write-in
=====​
Heh.
Threadmarks "We've Got Hostiles" pt. 49
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#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Jan 21, 2015

- #26,789

"OK," you say. A twist of will brings your Grief platform around to deposit Akiko's body in front of you, the platform melting away into deep purple smoke that wisps away to coalesce into spheres. Akiko's body lies bonelessly on the floor in front of you. "If there's no questions, then we'll proceed to waking up Hamasaki. Mami?"
Mami smiles, and a quick gesture of her hand has ribbons winding up to wrap around Akiko's wrists and ankles, as she had done for the others you've woken up so far. You withdraw the last Soul Gem in your pocket, a clear blue, multifaceted Gem that you hold up. It catches the scant light, throwing it back in your face.
None of the Sendai girls seems to want to take it. Yumi's frowning slightly, an expression mirrored on Tamiko's face. Rin looks indifferent, eyeing the Gem with an expression that's very nearly dislike. Sakura, of course, hasn't returned yet.
"I'm... not the person to wake Hamasaki up, I think," you say. "So... who's closer to her?"
Hesitantly, Yumi steps forward, holding out her hand for the Soul Gem. You hand it over to her.
Chouko speaks up. "Miss Sabrina, may we leave now?"
"Go ahead," you say. Chouko nods, walking to the edge of the rooftop, and her friends follow her as she leaps off. You track them in your Grief sense, but they keep going in a straight line until they're out of range.
Yumi's kneeling beside Akiko, now, already pressing them Gem into the bluenette's hand. Rin seems to have pulled Tamiko into a private conversation, Rin standing with folded arms and a determined expression on her face as she faces Tamiko steadily. You stand back, letting Yumi handle it.
Akiko's awakening is undramatic. Her eyes flicker open, muzzily blinking back the haze of confusion for a moment, before they start darting around wildly. She begins struggling in her bonds, a quiet litany flowing from her lips. "No, no, no, I can't fail, no, no..."
Yumi blinks, looking deeply unsettled. She, swallows and reaches out, touching Akiko on her shoulder. "Akiko, it's OK. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you," she says, voice unsteady.
Akiko doesn't seem to respond, doesn't even seem to notice, still straining mindlessly against Mami's ribbons. She bucks like a wild animal, throwing off Yumi's hand.
Vwwp.
Sakura reappears on the roof, scowling fiercely. Her Soul Gem's dark with Grief, and she fumbles in her pocket for her used Grief Seeds, thrusting them out at you.
You keep your eye on Yumi, still trying fruitlessly to calm Akiko down, and wave your hand carelessly in Sakura's general direction. Grief, unsettling and present in your puella magi senses, floods into the air before coalescing to join the constellation of spheres already orbiting the roof.
Akiko jerks, twisting against her restraints, throwing off Yumi's tentative touch again.
"Jesus fuck," Sakura mutters. You fight the completely inappropriate impulse to criticize her swearing for a lack of creativity, barely winning. The teleporter strides forward, radiating anger, and reaches out to bodily manhandle Akiko to her feet. "Up, get up."
The bluenette stands, swaying drunkenly, head dipped and feverbright eyes darting madly about. You're not sure if she even recognizes there are other people there on the roof with her, let alone who those people might be.
Sakura leans back, one arm drawing back with palm unfurled. She hesitates for a moment, bringing that arm back forward again.
Then she slaps Akiko. Not full force, not putting her entire body behind the blow, not even hard by any reasonable measure.
Akiko crumples to the floor, blinking vacantly upwards.
"Sakura!" Rin says, stepping forward.
Sakura grunts. "Fuck. Thought that would work," she mutters.
Rin kneels, bringing up a hand glowing with magic. "She's fine. Physically, at least," she reports after a moment of hushed silence.
Tamiko exhales heavily, moving to kneel beside Akiko. Eventually, her voice sounds in your head. "She always turned failure to advantage," the orange haired girl says. "And she hardly failed."
The girl glances at Yumi, the two of them communicating on a more private channel.
[] Write-in
=====​
Oh. Well then. I guess Akiko stahped.
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