- 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 Residue processing pt. 36
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 14, 2015

- #61,247

Your eyebrows shoot up. That's... that's an offer and a half.
It'd work too, wouldn't it? Mami will once upon a never have done it, after all. She is that good.
But... no. Homura. She trusts you... and she deserves to have that trust repaid.
"I appreciate the offer, Mami," you say softly. "Thank you, so very much. But... Homura said that she trusts me. She's been through a lot. It's hard for her to trust anyone. If I can, I want to honor and reward that trust as much as possible. But thank you."
"I... yes, I understand," Mami says, a touch of trepidation in her voice. "Um, to be honest, I didn't think it would have been the best move, either, but... I just wanted to support you. Um. Sorry."
"Hey, no," you say, keeping your mental voice gentle and warm. You purse your lips, rubbing at your forehead in thought. "I appreciate it, Mami, I really, truly do. But you're right - it's not the best option here. So don't apologise, OK? Please."
"A-alright," Mami says. "Thank you."
"For nothing, Mami," you say firmly. "I honestly am thankful for you wanting to help, OK? Just that for now, I'll just try the best I can with what I have."
"Alright," Mami says, voice a little stronger. "Do your best, Sabrina. I believe in you."
A smile blossoms on your face. "Thanks, Mami."
Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kirika flash a grin at you before she burrows back into Oriko's side.
"I- Of course, Sabrina," Mami says. "Um... is there anything else?"
"Yeah, actually, one last thing for now," you respond easily, rolling your eyes at Kirika. "Or actually two, but first thing is - I turned my Grief into a ring that blocks pain, yeah? Do you think I'd be able to use enchantment magic to do something similar?"
"Hmm..." Mami takes a moment to consider this. You can just about imagine her expersiion, lips slightly pursed and brow furrowed gently in thought. "You should be able to," she replies finally. "I think everything that can be done with, ah, normal magic can be done with enchantment? It's just a matter of how much effort you need to put into it."
"Aha. That makes sense," you say, ruminating on that notion.
"Enchantment is... it gives permanent form to what magic already is? Does that make sense?" Mami says. "Some things are much harder than others, it's about how much control you need to exert over it, really."
"Yeah, it does," you say. "Hm... might be worth looking into. Thank you, Mami, for everything."
"Of course, Sabrina," Mami says softly. "You said you had one more thing?"
"Ah, yeah. I'll see you at lunch, Mami," you say, smiling. She can't see it, but this sort of thing seems to carry across telepathy, kind of. A faint impression of the other person. "I will."
"A-ah. Yes, of course," Mami says. "See you, Sabrina."
"See you," you agree, ending the connection.
You exhale slowly and lean back in the chair, closing your eyes and rubbing at your temples wearily.
"How'd it go?" Kirika chirps. "Good, I reckon?"
"Yeah... just lots to think over," you respond, opening your eyes to glance at the black haired girl.
"Great!" Kirika says, beaming. "Whatcha thinkin'?"
"Well," you say telepathically. "One of the things I'm thinking is that in order to help Oriko, I need to have her... really start questioning herself. Her actions. Her motivations. Everything. And to do that I have to talk about things that may be upsetting for the both of you. But I do think it's to help."
Kirika frowns. "Are you sure about this?" she asks.
"As sure as I can be," you answer. "I'm trying to help."
"Sure, then," Kirika replies, slowly, eyeing you thoughtfully.
"Is there anything you'd like me to know? Anything you think would help? Last minute advice?" you ask.
"Yeah. Don't you dare hurt my Oriko," Kirika replies, all traces of levity fleeing from her face.
"Not intentionally," you say with a slow, sober nod. "For what that's worth."
Kirika nods, a smile returning to her face, bright and sunny as if it had never left.
"Alright, then," you say, returning your attention to Oriko and cracking your knuckles. "First things first - I'm going to try something Witchy." You hold out your hand, and a blob of Grief plops into your grasp. At your will, it divides into three smaller pieces.
Communication and interdiction. Privacy.
You breathe your intention into the Grief, shaping three bracelets out of the Grief to ensure that you can talk freely, without fear of being overheard or voice-read. An extra thought to spare, for allowing incoming telepathy, while denying Kyuubey eavesdropping.
The bracelets sing in your hand, warming to the touch, and you know it works from the sensation pressing against your skin. You slip one onto your wrist, waggling your fingers, and holding the other two out to Oriko and Kirika. "Here," you say. "This'll let us talk privately."
Kirika's eyes go very wide, staring at you, and she exchanges a glance with Oriko.
The seer nods slowly, still looking at you with a considering look. "Sabrina, how do these work?" she asks.
"Well... I don't know," you admit. "I just, um, tell my magi-"
You're interrupted by an explosion of giggles from Kirika. The black haired girl claps her hands over her mouth, trying to muffle them as she stares at you.
"... what?" you ask.
Kirika's laughter redoubles, the black haired girl collapsing to the bed helplessly and beating one fist against the mattress.
... even Oriko starts laughing quietly, genteely covering her mouth with one hand. Weakly, she fumbles in the drawer beside the bed, emerging with a mirror and holding it up to you.
You inspect the mirror. You look perfectly fine, as far as you can tell. "I don't ge-"
You stop, tilting your head to the side. "Test, test," you mutter under your breath. "I wish ta control grief! My fuckin own! That of others muthafucka! Da grief of tha Witches muthafucka! All of dat shiznit son!"
There is a distinct mosaic filter over your mouth when you speak.
Kirika appears to be having a fit.
Rolling your eyes, you hold the bracelets out to Kirika and Oriko. The seer accepts them, giving one a dubious look and slipping it on with some difficulty. Silently, she puts one on Kirika, who's practically howling with laughter right now.
You cross your arms and one leg over the other, arching an eyebrow at Oriko while you wait for Kirika's laughter to subside. The seer quirks her eyebrow right back at you, a hint of a smirk lurking around her lips.
You sigh. No support to be found there.
Eventually, Kirika's laughter dies way to breathless, hiccuping giggles, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Alright, so now we can talk freely without Kyuubey listening in," you say.
"Aw, the pixels are gone" Kirika says, looking disappointed.
"They are indeed," you say, equally disappointed. "I think it's just people outside the effect who see it."
"Bah, that's no fun," Kirika complains with a pout. It occurs to you that you could probably add the mosaic filter back, just for her, but... nah.
"What did you want to tell me?" Oriko asks.
"Well." You take a moment to collect your thoughts. "Wishes come true. If you wished for something, it must be possible, if it hasn't already happened." You meet Oriko's eyes squarely, making sure that she knows that you're talking about her. "Well. It's not ideal. Only you can find the meaning of your life, Oriko. But there's not enough time, and that ring won't last outside my range."
You lean forward, propping your elbows on your knees and interlacing your fingers. "So, I'm going to talk a bit, Oriko. Maybe it'll help." You smile at Oriko, enjoying the moment. For once... for once you get to be cryptic at the seer. "Will you listen?"
The silver haired girl arches an eyebrow at you. "I'm listening," she allows.
"Hmm..." you say, eyeing Oriko over your hands. "I'm going to talk a little about another Oriko, elsewhere and elsewhen. An Oriko who did find the meaning of your life. An Oriko was a force for good who used her powers to help others. Who saved Yuma and fought and defeated a ruthless magical girl."
"Hey, my Oriko's a force for good!" Kirika protests.
You click your tongue reprovingly. "With the help of her Kirika," you continue, inclining your head towards the black haired girl. "She found the meaning of her life and gained full control of her powers."
"Now, see..." you tilt your head slightly in the other direction, still holding Oriko's gaze. The seer's brows are furrowed in heavy thought. "The answer that other Oriko came to... had nothing to do with dying or sacrificing herself for the sake of the world."
Kirika's expression, in the corner of your eye, crumples, all traces of her earlier mirth fading away.
"So, Oriko. You told me that I would end this, one way or another, and that you wouldn't be around to see it," you murmur. "My question, then, is why? Why are you so fixated on dying?"
"I see the future, Sabrina," Oriko says. "There's no room for me in it."
"And that means... what, exactly?" you ask. "Do you explicitly see yourself dying?"
"No," Oriko admits. "I simply don't see myself, past a certain point."
[] Write-in
=====​
Perception without comprehension-
Last edited: Sep 14, 2015
Threadmarks Residue processing pt. 37
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 16, 2015

- #61,443

"No. Oh, no," you say, straightening and freeing your hands from the clasp. "There is a place for you, Oriko, and if there isn't... well, we can make one. You're good people, and you deserve better than that."
Oriko eyes you. "So quick to forgive and forget, are we?" she asks.
You shrug. "Point remains, Oriko, glib words aside. Look... you're resigned to dying, that there's no place for you in the better world you're trying to make...just because your power doesn't show you you're there?" You spread your hands. "I hope you see my problem."
"There are simply no futures where I exist," Oriko says, pushing herself upright. Kirika, looking worried, hurries to fluff up the pillow behind her.
"Well, considering that I don't show up properly, and we've apparently got something out there messing with reality, and Feathers -the last two may be the same thing, but my point stands- I'm not sure how solid an objection that is," you say, crossing your arms. And it's entirely possible that gaining her full powers would prevent her past self from seeing her future self, you think. "It seems to me that you're determined to die."
"I see you perfectly fine," Oriko counters. "It's merely that every time you act, changes ripple outwards. The shape of the future remains, but details differ."
"No," you say sharply, raising a finger. "No changing the subject. Maybe we'll come back to that later, but no. For now, we're talking about you." You debate trying to prove to her that it's entirely possible for her to simply disappear from her own sight - you could probably make something to suit the task.
Mayble you'll come back to that later, but no. Not now.
"You see pieces of the future, Oriko, and we we both know it's imperfect." You tilt your head back, frowning at her.
"It is," Oriko replies, silvery grey brows lowering and repaying frown in kind. "Do you think I haven't looked? I don't exist past a certain point."
You continue frowning at her. She's still got nothing on Homura's frowns. "And just where do you see Kirika after that? She loves you. She ha-"
You're interrupted by a high pitched squealing noise, and Kirika flails herself upright with a bright , scarlet blush on her face. "Don't just say it like thaaaaat!"
"Indeed. It's quite rude to presume," Oriko says. "... even if not inaccurate."
"'Presume'? Really?" you give Oriko a flat look.
Oriko sniffs haughtily. The effect is rather thoroughly ruined by the faint pink flush on her pale face.
"And," you say, raising a finger again. "Subject. What about Kirika? She would have reacted if you just disappeared out of the blue?"
"We've talked about it," Oriko replies, looking away. Silently, she slips her arm around Kirika's waist to hug the black haired girl close to her. Kirika cuddles her right back, wrapping her arms around the other girl.
"And... you're both going to just roll over and accept it," you say, unimpressed. "And what about me? I'd be pretty damned unhappy if you just died or vanished or something."
"I don't vanish," Oriko says tonelessly. "Mostly."
Kirika makes a pained, keening noise and burrows into Oriko's side, wrapping herself around the seer like a particularly affectionate octopus.
"And that's better?" you ask.
Oriko falls silent, Kirika nuzzling in to her side. "No," she admits.
"So...?" you say.
The seer shrugs. "It happens. What more is there to say?"
"It hasn't yet," you say. "And as I said - I'm not sure how solid an objection that is, Oriko. Have you even considered any other possible explanation as to why you can't see yourself?"
"Have you considered that gravity might be caused by invisible pink fair-"
You cut Oriko off. "Oriko, please," you say, a touch of pleading in your tone. "None of that. I'm trying to help."
The seer sags. "I'm sorry." She holds up a hand, and you wait for her to continue, which she does after a minute. "Sabrina, I've come to terms with it. It's... painful, continuing to speak as if I might survive."
You sigh heavily. "Oriko... I can think of, offhand, a few hypotheses as to why your powers are behaving that way. And sure, maybe they're not even that, and more conjecture. Guesswork." You unfold your arms, gesturing with an open palm. "How are you doing any better? You're acting based on a guess. Your precognition has been fooled before. I think it's way too early to accept your death as an absolute."
"Perhaps," Oriko says, acknowledging that with a nod. "But... I think that I'm right. It feels right."
"Listen." You jab a finger at Oriko, the seer swaying back from your finger as if it's a loaded gun. "Even if that's what's happening, I'm going to make my stance clear. I do not accept your death. Nor Kirika's. I do not accept a future without Mikuni Oriko or Kure Kirika in it."
"I do not accept that the meaning of you life is to die. Why are you accepting this?" you snap, rising from the chair and starting to pace. "You know me, Oriko." You jab a thumb at your own chest. "You know I'd fight if it were your lives on the line, and hey - maybe they are." You spread your arms. "You know I'll fight with everything I have. So give the fatalistic seer routine a rest."
"Enough. Please," Oriko whispers, barely loud enough for you to hear, looking down at her lap. "I've come to terms with it, Sabrina."
[] Write-in
=====​
-is a dangerous combination.
Threadmarks Residue processing pt. 38
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 18, 2015

- #61,559

You slump, metaphorically and literally. You drop back into the chair, letting your legs slide out from under you.
"... well. I can't," you say with a sigh.
What ever happened to humility and 'I am not omniscient', you wonder.
Then again, death is the ultimate humbler.
Lives, lived, will live.
Tsk.
"Sabrina, I appreciate it," Oriko says quietly, looking up at you. "In truth, I do."
"Me too," Kirika interjects, the usual bubbly cheer noticeably lacking from her voice.
Silently, Oriko squeezes her a little tighter before continuing. "I understand what you're trying to say. And I know you believe it." She takes a slow, shuddering breath. "But this... It feels..." She shakes her head, apparently lost for words.
You click your tongue in annoyance. "The future is a malleable thing, Oriko, and you know it. Just look at what happened to Sayaka. You had no clue right up until it was almost too late."
"This is different," she says quietly. "It feels... I know it. I know it, as sure as if I'm looking at my own grave."
Your magic can be fooled. The words are on the tip of your tongue and you'd blurt them out and you want to just slap some sense into her and you want a hug from Mami right about now.
Well.
You're not going to say the first, you're not going to carry through on the second, and Mami is still in school. Maybe at lunch. That'd be nice.
You sigh. "You've... with what you've told me you've saved hundreds of innocent people, and one of my friends. We can change things for the better, Oriko. You already have."
"I know," the seer agrees with a slight nod. "And... I'm glad I have."
You rub a knuckle against your forehead. "You've been a force for good, in this last week. You deserve to live," you say stubbornly, crossing your arms.
Oriko's gaze drops back to Kirika, wrapped around her waist. The black haired girl smiles up at her, worry in her citrine orange eyes. "Maybe. I would argue the point, but 'deserve' has nothing to do with it."
"Ugh," you mutter softly, before raising your voice. "OK. Look, you say I change the future. Ripples, but changes nevertheless, yeah? Ripples in the right direction can do quite a bit." You close your eyes and exhale slowly, steadily. "Perhaps it's just a question of degrees. What precedes your death? What happens?"
"It varies," Oriko says. "Sometimes, an enemy magical girl. Mostly... cessation. I..." she swallows. "I die. Simple as that."
"Details, Oriko?" you urge gently, leaning forward. "Maybe there's something I could do?"
Oriko shakes her head. "Sabrina, I believe you," she says, giving you a wan, pale smile. "I believe you'll try."
"Oriko, please. I'm sure there's something I can do to assure that you and Kirika get to live in the world you've made," you say, quiet urgency in her voice. "Please. Work with me. Not just for the people you'll save, but for Kirika."
She sighs and nods. "I'll work with you," she says.
[] Write-in
=====​
Short update today.
Threadmarks Residue processing pt. 39
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 21, 2015

- #61,782

"It's a start," you say. You know she's just humouring you, but... it is a start, and it's more than you had going in to this conversation. You're not going to turn your back on it.
Oriko gives you that damnable faint smile.
You sigh. "OK. I know it's a morbid question, but I need to know - how much time do we have before we hit 'that certain point'?"
"Nineteen days, Sabrina," Oriko says, with ghastly, mirthless smile. "The twenty sixth of April. No further."
Kirika, looking stricken, wraps her arms tighter around the seer with a quiet whimper. Oriko's expression softens as she wraps her own single arm around Kirika, shaking silvery, sweat-matted hair out of her face and holding the girl close.
"Alright," you say, biting your lip. You don't exactly like seeing them in distress, but the only weapon you can wield right now is information, so you'll scrabble for every bit of it you can. "Can you describe the enemy magical girl? It's a long shot, but maybe I'll recognize her?"
Oriko grimaces. "You must understand, if it's a magical girl, then it happens... early. But of the already few times that it is a magical girl... many times, it's Akemi Homura. Other times, Miki Sayaka. Seldom, it's a blonde magical girl with long hair, and green eyes."
She gives you a razor thin, edged smile. "Generally, you do a good job of preventing it. But very rarely..." Sea-green eyes flick over to regard you steadily.
She means you.
You worry at your lower lip. "What do you do that makes that happen?"
"I take matters into my own hands, to preserve your chances of success. I manipulate, I deceive, and I kill," Oriko says with another mirthless smile. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be necessary."
You rock back in your chair. "What do I have to do to avoid that happening?"
"Do not alienate Akemi Homura," Oriko says, twisting her fingers through Kirika's hair. "Virtually anyone bar you, her and Kaname Madoka are... expendable. I doubt that you like the word, but it's simple fact."
"I don't like the notion, Oriko," you say, frowning. "And you know it."
Oriko shakes her head. "Don't spread yourself too thin."
You sigh. "What else can you tell me?" you ask. You're not going to convince her on this, and she's not going to convince you. "Anything at all, no matter how significant, about the feathers and the... murders." You pause, exhaling. "Everything, Oriko. I need your help - you're the only one who can help, here."
"Mmm," Oriko says, not really agreeing nor disagreeing. "Where do I start... The feathers. They're quite large. About two handspans long, and about so thick." She holds up her fingers about five centimetres, two inches, apart. "Black coloured, with white coloured afterfeathers, I believe the term is. I have no idea what kind of bird they might come from; I'm not an ornithologist."
"Right," you agree, contemplatively. That matches with the feather you'd found, then, the one still riding in one of your Grief spheres. Absently, you mentally check your metaphorical inventory - bag of Grief marbles, obrez and lunchbox in said bag... Homura's Witch notebook, assault rifle, ammunition, gold.
All in order, then. "Go on, Oriko?"
"When I encounter them in my visions... It's like snow. The feathers just fall, and they shroud out the vision in question," she says, frowning in concentration. "It's like... static on a television."
Oriko pauses for a moment. "Could we have a Soul Gem cleanse?" she asks, gesturing at hers and Kirika's Soul Gems.
"Sure," you say. "I was going to ask soon, actually." You twitch a finger, drawing free the Grief swirling within the two Soul Gems. A considerable amount in both of them - a touch more in Kirika's, but not by much. You huff out a quiet sigh. "Anyway, go on, Oriko?"
The seer nods. "The deaths... Generally, you're away," she says. "It's close to Walpurgisnacht, and you feel the need to arrange for more allies."
"And if I stick close to Mitakihara?" you ask.
"Does not materially change the outcome," Oriko asks. "Your presence... I would hazard a guess that the, the, entity avoids your direct presence." She raises a finger. "I don't know whether it's an entity or not, merely that... it doesn't happen directly in your presence."
"Alright," you say. "How does it happen, generally?"
"Soul Gem, rarely," Oriko says "Sometimes, the feathers." She makes a little gesture with her hand, holding up her clenched fist before suddenly snapping it open, fingers spread. "You must realise, I don't see every outcome. Merely some possible ones."
You sigh. And there it is again. "Alright," you say again, and trying to remember everything Oriko said. Not that you really have trouble remembering things. Sure, sometimes you have trouble recalling things, but you generally have a good memory for details. "I'll... talk to Mami and Homura about this later, and we'll come up with a plan. We'll beat this, OK?" You glance at Kirika. "Kirika, we'll beat this."
The black haired girl gives you a smile that's a shadow of her usual bright, sunny grins. "Yeah," she says. "We'll beat this."
You heave a sigh. "Right. We'll come back to this later," you say. "For now... we need to figure out a better solution for your headaches than my ring. It'll only last as long as I can stay here, after all. But Oriko, keep what I said in mind, OK?"
Oriko nods silently, giving you a wan smile. "I appreciate it, Sabrina. I really do."
You smile back at them. "Anyway... I'd like to take this outside - I think some fresh air would be good for everyone?"
"Sure!" Kirika chirps, a stronger smile returning to her face. "Oriko?"
The seer shrugs, pushing herself to upright. Kirika bounces to her feet, and turns around to help Oriko up.
"By the way, Oriko," you say as the three of you start heading out of the room.
"Yes?" Oriko asks.
"Did you find any problems with the clear Seed?" you ask. "Did it work OK?"
"No, I did not," the seer replies. "It seemed perfectly fine for usage, though judging from your expression earlier, something unusual might be up with the Seed?"
"Maybe," you say. "But barring that investigation... I'm thinking of distributing these to my friends and other magical girls. What do you think?"
Oriko shrugs. "It seems unwise, if there's something bothering you about them, but apart from that, we've had no trouble with it over the time we've been using it."
"Excellent," you say, rubbing at your nose. "It's not a full solution to the, ah, resource problem, but I'm intending to develop alternatives. Independence from Grief Seeds."
"I wish you the best of luck," Oriko offers, smiling faintly at you.
"Thanks," you say as you reach the garden, pushing open the glass door. "... say, Oriko?" you add as you remember something. "What ever happened to that Kyuubey body you stuck in a cat carrier?"
"I let it go after a while," Oriko says with an ambivalent shrug as she wanders over to the small table in the garden, Kirika following and pulling a chair out for her. "I wanted to keep it away from your lunchtime conversation."
"Oh. Is that all?" you say, joining the duo at the table and sitting down opposite to them.
Oriko shrugs. "Sometimes, it's the little things?"
"... sure," you agree. "Anyway... enchantment magic. I talked to Mami and she gave me the green light."
"Oh?" Oriko asks cautiously.
"Yeah... OK, do you know what enchantment magic can do?" you ask rhethorically.
Oriko and Kirika both shake their heads, the latter adding a cheery, "Nope!"
"Basically anything a magical girl's normal magic can," you say. "So, reinforcing, shielding, extending, and... hopefully, pain blocking."
"I see," Oriko says. "That's your plan, then?"
"Yeah," you agree. "I'm hoping we can figure it out here and now? It might take time, but I'm hoping to make a substitute for the ring."
Oriko nods. "That makes sense. Judging from your choice of words, though, you don't know how to do it?"
"No, I don't," you confirm. "I think... well, there's two reasons. First so that you can have your own pain blocking ring, and second..." you rub at your nose. "I'm hoping we can use enchantment to turn a clear Seed into a Soul Gem."
"... I see," Oriko says. "That might be possible?"
[] Write-in
=====​
I presume your next vote will be experimenting with enchantment - so cover that, and then lunch.
As an additional note, my rate of updates this week is likely to slow down even more, unfortunately - upcoming midterms.
Last edited: Sep 21, 2015
Threadmarks Residue processing pt. 40
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Sep 28, 2015

- #62,284

First things first, then, you need something disposable you can afford to break. Multiple somethings. Hmmm...
"Oriko? Can I grab some of the pebbles?" you indicate the polished rocks lining the rosebeds. "I'm... well, we're quite likely to break a fair number of them."
The silver haired girl indicates the rocks with a regal, 'go ahead' gesture, and a flick of attention and sliver of Grief scoops up a round dozen, dropping with a clatter to the table.
You grab one. It's cool and smooth to the touch, and you balance it on the flat of your palm, displaying it to Oriko and Kirika. "Alright," you say. "So enchantment. It's as... simple... as channeling magic into an object with the intent to do something. There's a... way of twisting the magic that Japanese isn't really adequate for explaining, or even any human language, and I haven't really mastered it yet."
"If it's simple, then how come you haven't mastered it yet?" Kirika asks. There's no malice in her tone. Just curiosity in the birdlike tilt of her head.
"Simple isn't the same as easy," you say with a shrug. "Lifting a car engine is simple. But it's not easy.' You pause for a moment. "For a non magical girl, I mean."
"OK, that makes sense," Kirika says, nodding rapidly and swiping a rock from the table to bounce in her hand. "So how do we do it?"
"Well... I was thinking that I'd show you how it works, first. And then we can all practice and try and get it?" you say, glancing at Oriko. "Just a general idea first, to see roughly which way to go?"
The seer looks dubious, but nods slowly.
"Alright, so... I'm going to try and put a barrier shield on the rock," you say.
You take a breath and reach for that feeling, that wellspring of power, and the memory of how Mami did it. You've practiced this. Not to any great success, but you have. Magic trickles up your fingers, the sensation almost like a warm blush rising underneath your skin, before it bubbles into the rock at your focus.
You try to shape the magic. You try to bring to mind how Mami did it, and you try to imitate it. The magic twists like this and then curls this wa-
Crack.
You scowl at the shattered rock in annoyance, and drop the shards to the table. "... well, yeah," you say. "That's what happens when you do it wrong. Haven't gotten it right yet, though." You dust your hands off, and pick up one of the three fragments instead.
"Cool! Lemme try," Kirika says, assuming an expression of great concentration as she stares down at the rock. "Hnnnnnngh."
Oriko's eyes widen a hair, and she smacks Kirika's hand lightly. "No."
Kirika makes a confused face. "No?"
"No," Oriko repeats.
"Oh," Kirika says sadly.
"Too much," the seer says tartly.
"Ohh," Kirika says, nodding. "What if-"
Oriko shakes her head.
Another pout.
You tilt your head, eyeing the pair. "Yeaaah," you say. "Control's the tricky part of this. Which is sadly my worst part."
Oriko nods, pushing through the pile of rocks and selecting one for herself. "Control," she murmurs to herself, frowning at the rock. She continues to frown at it for a minute, without actually doing anything - but you can feel her Soul Gem, now in Kirika's pocket, start to fill with Grief.
You take a moment to consider her Soul Gem - still the same, defitionally non-Euclidean inversion on itself. It's not... grinding on itself, per se, merely twisting itself into a tighter and tighter wound knot.
"Oriko?" you ask.
"I'm trying to determine the best way to do this," she says.
"Right," you say. "I'm just going to try, OK?"
Oriko shrugs. "Go ahead, Kirika."
The black haired girl, mouth half open to ask, blinks and grins, holding up her rock.
Magic flares, and the rock crumbles.
"... Oh," Kirika says, shoulders drooping and voice sounding utterly woebegone as she looks down at the sand sifting through her fingers. "Oh."
Oriko replaces her rock on the table with a quiet plunk and pats Kirika on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Sabrina?" Mami's voice intrudes on your head.
"Hey, Mami," you say as you refocus your attention on the shard of rock in your hand. "How are you?"
"Ah... I'm doing OK," Mami says. "I was wondering about you..."
You find yourself smiling, some of the pent up stress and tension relaxing from you. It's not a hug, but it's nice to hear Mami's voice. "I'm OK, Mami. I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Don't be silly," Mami says. You can hear the warm smile lighting up her face.
"Mmm," you say, not really agreeing or disagreeing.
"What are you doing?" she asks. "Um... If you're not too busy to tell me."
"No, I always have time for you," you say, smiling. You let magic seep gently into the stone fragment on your palm, trying to keep it slow and controlled. "I'm practising enchantment right now, trying to see if I can replicate the anti-pain ring."
"Ah, sorry," Mami says. "We never did find the time to practice it."
Crack. That would be your rock shattering. You grimace, and drop the fragments to the table.
"If anything, it's my fault," you say, poking the broken shards around. "I keep tripping over... well, everything."
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't, Sabrina," Mami says softly.
"That doesn't make it good," you counter, choosing the largest remaining shard and trying to channel magic into it again.
"I... Sabrina?" Mami says, voice worried. "I... don't want to argue with you."
You sigh. "OK." Magic ripples from your fingers, seeping slowly into the rock, and- crack. "Ugh," you grunt under your breath, dropping the splinters to the table.
You sift through the remains in annoyance for a moment. "Mami? I'm not mad at you or anything."
"A-alright," Mami says. "Um... How's the enchantment going?"
"Not terribly well," you admit, absently checking on Kirika and Oriko. The black haired girl has reduced another two stones to fragments, whereas... Oriko's still staring at her rock. You take a moment to cleanse all of your Soul Gems. "I do wish I could have gotten your help."
"I'd be glad to," Mami says. "When we can?"
"Yeah," you agree, smiling as you pick up yet another shard.
"Alright... I'll see you at lunch?" Mami asks. You can hear faint relief and warmth in her voice.
"Yeah. Of course, Mami," you say. "See you soon."
"See you," Mami says, and ends the connection.
You exhale slowly, finding yourself still smiling. Kirika looks up to catch your eye and grin, the smirk threatening to split her face in two.
You raise your eyebrow at her, but the grin doesn't abate. If anything, it widens.
You shake your head, though the smile remains on your face. "Anyway... I'm going to try and make something else, OK?" you inform Oriko and Kirika. "Gonna be Witchy again."
Then again, the two of them are dealing with the rather Witchy pain blocking ring just fine, aren't they? Still best to warn them, you figure, reaching out and pulling with your mind.
Oriko nods, whereas Kirika gives you a thumbs up, dusting off the remains of try number... you're not even sure. You lost count somewhere. "Cool," she says. "Whatcha making?"
"An enhancer for control. I hope," you say, holding out your hand just in time for a Grief sphere to smack into it.
"Oooh," Kirika says brightly. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Well yes, I thought so too," you say, focusing on the Grief. Enhancement of enchantment control... Heh. Alliterative. Hm. You bear down on the Grief with your will, twisting and prodding and mouldin-
-and it's done. A gleaming steel bracelet sits innnocuously in your palm, humming faintly in your senses.
"Shiny," Kirika observes.
"Yep," you agree. It always feels so easy, you muse as you slip the bracelet on. "How long did that take me?"
"A few minutes," Oriko says.
"Hmm," you say, filing that thought away for later and flexing your fingers. It doesn't feel any different, so... Testing time! You snag a fresh rock from the table, holding it flat on your palm, and start to pour magic into it again.
Right away, you notice the Grief, tiny slivers of it wicking away and intermingling with the silvery fire of your magic. Nearly imperceptible, but... They're there. Your lips curl in annoyance, but you force yourself to stay the course.
"It doesn't hold," Oriko notes quietly, eyeing the rock in your hand.
"Hrrrm," you say, magic still seeping into the rock. Finally, you... stop. It feels like the right place to stop, as if you're tying off a knot in the magic.
You blink at the rock. It looks normal to your senses, but it... resonates in your senses, a miniature, crackling silver storm. Not too different from how it felt when Mami did it.
"Cooooool," Kirika says, ogling the rock. She reaches across the table and snags the rock, tossing it from hand to hand.
"... Huh," you say. "Smack it with a rock or something? It's supposed to be a defensive barrier."
"Sure," Kirika says cheerfully, grabbing another rock and bringing it down on the glowing barrier. It bounces off with a resounding chime and flash of light. "Cooooool."
"It doesn't hold, though," Oriko murmurs, watching as Kirika smacks the enchanted stone again with another rock - the black haired girl seems to take an extraordinary amount of delight in the chiming noise. "When you leave the area."
"Well, damn," you mutter. Just to confirm, you reach for the faint specks of Grief drifting within the enchantment, and extract those with a thought.
The magic collapses, and Kirika's next blow with the rock ends with a dismal, clacking noise of stone on stone. "Awww," she pouts.
"Hrrrm," you grumble. You'd... sort of expected this, to be honest. It's not like Science! isn't useful, but... it seems like effects touched by Grief remains touched by Grief. With one exception that you've found so far - moving that rosebush. Which is still uprooted. It's right over there, leaves slowly withering. "No shortcuts, it seems."
Oriko shrugs, looking faintly annoyed.
"Alright, then," you say with a sigh. "We do it the hard way, then."
The seer nods, starting to turn that rock over and over slowly in her hand, still eyeing it slowly. Tentatively, she channels a little magic into it, but pulls back quickly, shaking her head.
You sigh, returning your focus to a new rock. Your mind wanders as you work, vaguely wondering about setting up a website for meguca. You could probably make a server out of Grief, though goodness knows how that would work. And a magic wifi connection.
Hah. You could get Megane to be a moderator.
Then again, maybe you could make moderators of your own out of Grief. But that'd require intelligence, probably maybe. Which... suggests that you'd need Familiars of some kind. Which is an old, old topic. You're not a Witch. Totally. You're pretty sure. You swear.
Which does rather lead you to the whole Grief problem, doesn't it? You kind of want to find a way to dispose of Grief without Kyuubey being involved. Cut it out of the loop entirely. On the other hand, it is harmless-ish, at least on that aspect - it wants Grief, pure and simple. And there are more important things to handle before you can get to it, like hopefully working out enchantment and de-Witching and spending time with your friends.
Time passes slowly, with another call from Mami but without much success - by the time it's eleven thirty, none of you have made much success at all.
Kirika's looking increasingly disappointed and bored, sorting through a large pile of rock flakes, whereas Oriko's still spending most of her time just staring at her own rock. She's still on her first one.
You've gone through a fair number yourself.
Tsk.
You tilt your head back, staring at a lone cloud drifting through the clear blue sky, musing. It's about time to go for lunch now, which means... you glance sidelong at Oriko.
"Yes?" the seer asks quietly.
[] Write-in
=====​
Midterms are still ongoing, but have an update. Written entirely during my daily commutes.
Here ends Book 2, chapter 4: Residue Processing. The next update will be chapter 5: This Mortal Coil.
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 1
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 2, 2015

- #62,702

"I think..." you purse your lips as you consider the possibilities, turning thoughts over. "I'm going to ask Mami to make you a substitute for the pain blocking ring."
Oriko gives you a look conveying extreme dubiousness, but you cut off her probably biting rejoinder with a raised hand. "I don't know if she can or if she'll agree, or if Homura will help out," you say. "But I'm going to ask. Which segues into my next point nicely."
"And what is that?" Oriko asks, putting her rock down on the table, running her hand wearily over her face. Her skin's still kind of sallow, really, not entirely recovered from the... whatever it was.
"The two of you need to continue practicing, too," you say. "Use the clear Seed for cleansing, and... Oriko, no shortcuts. That means no precog. I'll be honest - I considered giving Kirika a squirt bottle to use for when you try to substitute precog for actual work." Kirika jerks straight up in her chair, a grin spreading across her face.
Oriko gives you an unimpressed look. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, Sabrina," she says.
"I dunno. I say 'considered', but really I mean 'am considering'," you say, leaning back and crossing your arms. "Look, Oriko, I think enchantment is more like learning the piano or some other skill. It's a skill, and precog won't help much - you need to try, and probably fail, and keep trying."
The seer blinks slowly, before nodding fractionally.
You're not really sure if she's agreeing or just humouring you, but well, it's Oriko. She thinks in lines about as straight as she herself is.
"What will you do if Tomoe Mami is unwilling to help?" Oriko asks quietly.
You purse your lips. "I was going to cross that bridge when I came to it, to be honest. There are really only two good options I can think of, and neither of them are good ones."
"I see," Oriko says. "What are they?"
You shake your head. "Let me check with Mami and Homura first," you say. "What I have in mind are really backup options, and maybe I'll think of something in the meantime."
"Does that happen much?" Kirika pipes up.
"Eh?" you ask intelligently.
"Thinking of things like, like-" Kirika snaps her fingers. "Like that. I know I get all sorts of ideas all the time but Oriko usually tells me they're bad ideas."
Oriko chuckles, reaching out to pat Kirika's hand lightly. Kirika turns her hand over and catches Oriko's, interlacing their fingers.
You shrug. "Well, yeah, kind of," you say. "I think fast."
"Neat," Kirika says.
"I'm not sure they're always good ideas, either," Oriko says, raising an aristocratic eyebrow at you.
You reply with a gimlet stare, raising an eyebrow to match hers. "Anyway, anything else you need to tell me before I remove the bracelets?"
Oriko meets your eyes squarely. You can hear Kirika shifting about to the side, the Grief bracelet on her wrist moving as you lock eyes with the silver haired girl, raising your eyebrow in silent challenge. Oriko speaks after a moment, her voice slow and quiet. "Thank you for trying, Sabrina," she says.
You shrug. "It's... well, as Mami likes to say, I wouldn't be me if I didn't," you say.
"Nevertheless," Oriko replies.
A sigh. "You're welcome, Ori-"
A muffled giggle-snort interrupts you, and both your heads snap around to stare at Kirika. The black haired girl has her hand clamped over mouth, stifling her laughter. There is a conspicuous lack of bracelet on her wrist, which means...
"Kirika..." Oriko says chidingly, only to be answered by another explosion of giggles. Kirika practically howls with laughter, one hand thumping against the table. The seer rolls her eyes fondly as she removes her own bracelet, depositing it on the table.
You remove yours, too, dropping it on the table. A twist of will has all three bracelets dissolving into wispy, deep purple smoke you draw away to rejoin the main mass of Grief lurking out of sight.
"Alright, so, I'm going to go check with Mami and Homura," you say. "Oriko, do something about Kirika before she chokes on her tongue or something."
Oriko raises an unimpressed eyebrow at you while you reach out for your friends. "Mami, Homura?" you say.
"Yes?" Homura responds first, followed by Mami. "Hi, Sabrina."
"Hey," you say with a smile. "I... well, bad news. I wasn't able to make a substitute for the pain blocker in time. Could I ask for a favour?"
Kirika hops to her feet, wandering over to a small gardening shed. You take a moment to boggle at its existence - in Japan? Then again, given the size of the grounds attached to the Mikuni residence...
Abruptly, Oriko groans, glaring at you. You quirk an eyebrow at her.
"Of course, Sabrina," Mami says. "What do you need?"
"Well, I was wondering, could you both come over here really quickly?" you say, raising your eyebrow as Kirika emerges with a bulge tucked under her shirt. "Then, Mami, could you make a substitute for the pain blocking ring?"
Out loud, you speak to Oriko. "What?"
"I... Sabrina, each enchantment effect needs to be figured out separately. It might take me anywhere from hours to days," Mami says slowly. "I can, but it'll take time..."
"This is your fault," Oriko says, sounding faintly aggrieved.
"Ah. Right," you say, disappointed. You were... kind of prepared for failure, really. "Well, with timestop...?" You raise your other eyebrow at Oriko. "... what?"
"No," Homura says, her voice final. "Not for her."
You exhale slowly, closing your eyes. Not unexpected. Which means more to do for your already over-full plate.
"Alright," you say. "That's OK."
"Sorry, Sabrina," Mami says softly.
"It's not your fault, Mami, not at all," you reply. "Not yours either, Homura. I get it."
"I... Alright," Mami says. "Um..."
"I'll see you at lunch, Mami," you say, smiling. You quirk your eyebrow at the seer, who's grumpily folded her arms. Kirika's nowhere to be seen. "Of course I will. You too, Homura."
"Ah... alright," Mami says, a note of relief in her voice. "See you soon, Sabrina."
"See you," Homura echoes.
You sigh again as the connection closes. So much for that. And no new ideas, either... Feh.
"Oriko?" you say.
She sighs, and nods.
"Yeah. I suppose you can guess," you murmur, as Kirika reappears at the table, setting a filled squirt bottle dow-
Oh.
Ohhh.
That is your fault.
Kirika's bright grin fades a moment later. "What's wrong?"
"I have to go," you say heavily. "And that means that the ring will go, and the pain will come back."
"Oh," Kirika says. Silently, she grabs Oriko's hand, squeezing.
"I... have two options for you, Oriko," you say. "One is you endure the pain. I'll be back soon, with Mami, and we'll crack this together. She's much better at this than I am."
"What's the other option?" Kirika asks, subdued.
"I disconnect Oriko from her Soul Gem, temporarily," you say. "I'll give her Soul Gem to you, Kirika, to watch over, and if you need to wake her up, then you just need to give it back to her." You shift your gaze to Oriko. "It's your choice. Either way, I promise it'll be temporary."
Kirika sags in place, and you can feel despair spiking in her Gem. "... Oh," she says. "Nothing else you can do?"
[] Write-in
=====​

> Firnagzen said:
> "Eh?" Mami says. "I've... never really found any limits, no. It's just... each effect needs to be figured out on its own, so it takes time and Grief Seeds."
> Click to expand...
> Click to shrink...

If you have any new ideas, now's the time. Otherwise, Oriko'll be picking one of the two. Additionally, the next post will probably take you through to lunch, so vote accordingly.
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 2
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 4, 2015

- #62,999

You lick your lips. "I... maybe one last idea, Kirika? I don't have much hope for it, but..."
"Anything," Kirika says, perking up a bit.
"Do you think you can channel your antimagic, Kirika?" you ask. "Make it continuous?"
"I t-tried before," Kirika says, an unfamiliar tremor in her voice. "Earlier."
"Do you think you can put your power into something?" you ask. "Buffer it somehow, and that might work?"
"I don't know," Kirika says. Sudden determination crosses her face, and she snatches up a rock from the table. "Let's find out." She takes a deep breath, a frown of concentration crossing her face. You can feel the roiling, nauseating disruption of anti-magic start to build up again, and you steel yourself as shuddering pulses start to roll off the other girl.
You glance at the other girl sitting at the table. "I... long shot, but Oriko? Can you think of, or see, any other magical girl that could help?"
Oriko presses her lips together, shaking her head. "Do you think I haven't thought about it?" Her lips curl into a momentary, mirthless smirk. "I only used my powers for part of it, too."
You sigh. "There goes that idea, then," you say. Defeat is a rather bitter pill to swallow, even as... minor... as this is.
"There's a magical girl from Europe," Oriko says. "She can affect Soul Gems. And... Asunaro. I don't recommend going there, though." She shudders slightly.
You sit up straight, excitement and... trepidation filling your gut. Asunaro. "Really?" you say, before grimacing. "Doesn't help us now, though."
Oriko shrugs, looking tired and resigned. "The magical girl from Europe will be arriving in just over a week," she says.
"... really? Of her own volition?" you ask.
She shrugs again. "Word of your exploits is going to will have spread."
"Huh," you say. "Anyway, that's not really helpful now, though I suppose as a last ditch we can try and see if we can entice them to come over..." You exhale wearily.
The three of you fall silent, Kirika worrying away at her piece of stone, while you and Oriko look away, lost in your own thoughts. You chew at your lip, contemplating what other tricks you can attempt with your Grief, and how you're going to proceed from here on out. Part of you thinks that devoting more time to figuring things out can only be helpful, but on the other hand...
What are your goals? How do you win?
It's a difficult question to answer.
Here and now, though...
"Disconnect me," Oriko whispers, finally. "I'm sorry, Kirika."
Kirika makes a despairing noise in the back of her throat, tossing the river stone on the table and turning to Oriko.
You shake your head, exhaling as you look to the side. "I'm... I'm sorry," you say regretfully.
"Oriko..." Kirika begs. "There's got to be something. Sabrina, can't you stay?"
"I... I'm sorry," you say. "I have to be elsewhere. I'll come back soon."
"Sabrina?" Oriko gives you a wan smile. "Give us a moment?"
"Yeah. Of course," you say, pushing yourself off the chair. "And hey. This isn't goodbye, not between the two of you, or the three of us. OK? You better not be saying goodbyes, because I'll be back, and I'll fix this."
Kirika nods. "Y-yeah. OK."
"Understood, Sabrina," Oriko gives you another tired smile.
"Right," you nod firmly, stepping around the corner.
You wander around a corner of the Mikuni mansion, leaving the pair behind. You stare up at the white-painted building, and... there's streaks of dried, crusty stuff here and there. The smell, old and weathered, is enough to tell you what it is - rotten egg.
Nothing you didn't know, but... still.
Honestly, a house being egged in Japan is rather odd, but Mitakihara's a tad more westernised than most places, you suppose.
You brush your hand along the hedge as you wander.
Ficus foxtrot.
You can feel the Grief building in Kirika's and Oriko's Soul Gems, and... yeah, they're cleansing. They're using Aurora, which is well enough.
You sigh, and continue walking.
It really would be nice if you could be in more than one place at once, or if you could have Familiars, or space distortion of some kind. Down that path lies increasingly insistent claims of your non-Witchhood, though. Not exactly a problem, but, uh, unfortunate implications.
A telepathic ping interrupts your thoughts. "Sabrina? We're done" Oriko.
"On my way back," you respond, quickening your steps.
You round the building a few minutes later, and you find Kirika sitting across Oriko's lap, arms wrapped around the other girl in a tight hug. Both are dry eyed, but Kirika seems a hairsbreadth away from it. A silver Soul Gem sits on the table.
"Take it," Oriko whispers.
You nod, walking over. "I'll be back soon."
You claim Oriko's Soul Gem, holding it carefully in your hand. Kirika looks like she wants to stop you, but... she holds her tongue, and keeps her arms around Oriko.
You open your mouth to apologize, but what could you say? Instead, you simply sigh, and start walking away, pulling your phone out with your free hand to check the time. Enough of it.
Threading through the rose bushes, you walk away from Oriko and Kirika.
And eventually, you feel the wispy fires of magic connecting Oriko to her Soul Gem simply wink out.
And you feel the Grief in Kirika's Soul Gem spike once more.
You make your way back, finding Kirika cradling Oriko's body. Bright, citrine eyes look up, dry and fierce as you present Oriko's Soul Gem to her.
"You better come back soon," she says, accepting the silvery Gem with both hands.
"I know," you say. "I will. Kirika... you can wake her up. As and when you need to. It's just as if she went to sleep. You know that, right?"
"Yeah," Kirika says. "Just..." She smooths a hand along Oriko's cheek.
"I get it," you say.
You could mistake Oriko for a corpse. No breathing, no heartbeat.
"Yeah," Kirika says lamely, getting to her feet. "I'll bring her upstairs."
"Kirika, wait," you say, crossing the distance and catching the black haired girl in a hug. She stiffens in your arms for a moment, before sagging into the hug, her hands hanging limply at her side, Oriko's Soul Gem clutched in one.
"I'm not giving up," you say firmly. "We will fix this. I'll be back soon, OK?"
Kirika nods slowly.
You hold the hug for a moment longer, before releasing Kirika and stepping back. She gives you a weak grin. "Do you think she'd be mad if I drew on her face?"
"Probably," you say. "Do it anyway."
Kirika grins a little. "Yeah, probably."
You take a moment to ponder on the fact that Kirika's Wish probably means that deep down inside, Oriko secretly likes the, ah, quirkiness.
Heh.
"Alright. See you in a bit, Kirika," you say, focusing a moment to draw the Grief away from her and Oriko's Soul Gems, as well as your own. Kirika barely seems to notice. "I need to get going."
"See ya," she says.
You focus for a moment, and your Grief wings billowing from your shoulders, deep, starry fractal patterns blooming across their breadth. You launch yourself skyways, the last you see of Kirika being her picking up Oriko's body in a careful bridal carry.
You swoop over the city, flicking into a barrel roll with your coat snapping all around you as sky and earth tumble around you. And then you follow up with an aileron to, also known as that thing most people think a barrel roll is.
It doesn't take you terribly long to arrive at Mitakihara Middle, and you alight on the roof, folding your wings carefully to avoid the fences before dissolving them.
The bell rings a few moments later, and you can hear the resounding scrape of chairs as a thousand students stand near simultaneously. It's only a few minutes later when you hear pelting footsteps at the stairwell, and Mami emerges a split second later.
You meet her halfway across the roof, sweeping her into a hug - or maybe she sweeps you into a hug. Same difference. "Hi, Mami," you say, letting yourself relax, just a little.
"Hi, Sabrina," Mami responds. "How are you?"
[] Write-in
=====​
You've got a moment or two to talk to Mami before the others get to the roof.
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 3
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 6, 2015

- #63,254

It takes you just a heartbeat to decide.
You let your guard down.
You let yourself feel the weight.
"Tired," you whisper, answering honestly. "So very tired."
"Sabrina?" Mami asks. "What's wrong?"
You take a shuddering breath. "Too many things happening at once. Just... too many things going wrong, all at once," you say. "I don't... I don't think I can deal with everything."
And sometimes, you wonder if you can deal with anything.
There's so much to do to set up for the future. Walpurgisnacht and Feathers and... magical girls, and Witches. You need to figure out something, but there's precious little for you to start from. You think that enchantment might help you with de-Witching, and you don't know what you'll do if you can't.
"Oh, Sabrina," Mami says, hugging you close. You close your eyes, just letting her soothe you. She nudges you over towards the bench - you're aware of Homura and Sayaka and Madoka and Hitomi arriving, but Madoka obviously urges them to pull back for a moment.
"You don't have to deal with everything alone," Mami whispers gently, rubbing your back soothingly.
It feels odd, being the one comforted.
"I'm-" you say, voice hitching. "I'm trying."
It's true. You involve your friends where you can, but you're so worried for Mami. You're worried for Homura, and now Sayaka. And not to forget Madoka, either. You worry about how much you can put on them, and... maybe more practically than that, they don't have the time to spare, either.
"Alright," Mami says, still hugging you. "I'm always willing to help you, OK? However I can."
It feels nice, being the one comforted.
You breathe out. "Yeah," you agree. Yeah. She is. A faint smile touches your face. "Thanks, Mami."
"Oh, Sabrina... you've done so much for me," she breathes. "Me, and everyone else. It's the least I can do."
"Mm," you say. "How are you doing, Mami?" you ask.
"I'm... alright," she answers. "I'm worried about you, Sabrina."
"Yeah... Things'll work out, I'm sure," you say, smiling up at Mami. "Besides, I have you and everyone, to help me, right?"
"Right," Mami says firmly. "We can talk over lunch?"
"Yea-"
Sayaka cuts you off. "Hi, Sabrina!" she calls nonchalantly, stretching grandly as if she's just arrived. Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi follow her out of the stairwell. "How're you doing?"
You give her a flat look. "I -we- knew you were there," you say tartly, glancing at Mami. She nods in confirmation. "And you're a terrible actress."
"We didn't look!" Madoka protests.
"I know," you say, smiling as you look around at all your friends, all wandering into the roof - Madoka and Hitomi have rather sheepish expressions, and Sayaka's looking somewhat abashed. Homura is... Homu-ing. She's mildly annoyed, you think, which is frankly to be expected.
Ah, well.
Everyone settles themselves on the stone benches - Madoka on the bench opposite to you, Sayaka and Homura on her left and right. Hitomi sits, at Sayaka's insistence, on her other side. Mami sits beside you, of course.
"Are you alright, Sabrina?" Madoka asks, soft pink eyes anxious as you all start in on your lunch.
"Yeah... more or less," you say with a smile. "I've just had a long morning. A few long days, really."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Sayaka says, glancing up at you from her lunch. "Saved any kittens this morning?"
"... in a manner of speaking," you say. A pair of white and black kittens, in point of fact. A fairly adorable pair.
"What, really?" Sayaka asks, giving you a quizzical look.
"Kiiiind of," you say. You sigh, pressing your lips together. "Though... well. I need to talk to all of you."
Everyone takes notice of that. Mami sits up a little straighter, setting her lunchbox aside for the moment, while Madoka turns an anxious expression on you. Sayaka and Hitomi both look rather curious, tempered by worry. Homura frowns slightly, looking faintly worried.
"What is it, Sabrina?" Mami asks.
"It... well, I might have made our lives more complicated," you say. "Not to put too fine a point on it - I'm... just about unique, as magical girls are. It's not boasting or anything. My powers, my ability to cleanse Grief is unique." You're explaining more for Madoka and Hitomi and Sayaka's benefit, really.
Mami nods.
"Go on," Homura prompts, voice quiet. There's a small frown on her face - she knows where this is going.
You grimace. "I might have made our lives more complicated. I haven't exactly been keeping it quiet, so... word's probably-" no probably about it, but bringing up Oriko is a whole other can of worms, "-spreading. And we might be getting... immigrants at some point."
"I see," Homura says, frown smoothing out into an impassive mask.
She's hiding.
Mami purses her lips. "That... could be problematic," she says thoughtfully. "Mitakihara can't support too many more magical girls." She glances at you. "I mean, I'm sure you can help, Sabrina, but you can't be everywhere."
"Yeah, I know," you agree. "That's why I'm worried about it. And it's more people to manage and more people who might have conflicts with each other."
Homura exhales. "We'll just turn them away," she says without any particular emphasis - but you know what she means.
"Oh..." Madoka says, wringing her hands. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Don't be silly, Madoka!" Sayaka exclaims, clapping the pinkette on the back. "We'll handle it. Right, Mami? Sabrina, Homura?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Open mouth...
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 4
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 9, 2015

- #63,581

You click your tongue, your mind whirling with thoughts, sparked from an innocent comment. You didn't give it much thought earlier, but... Meguca, magical girls, trickling in from as far away as Europe. That implies things, doesn't it? No, wait, answer Sayaka first.
"Yeah," you say with a nod at Sayaka. "Yeah, we probably can, if we're careful."
Mami nods with a confident smile. "We can handle it."
Even Homura essays a minute nod in response, her lips still pressed together into a thin line. She probably means it differently from you, but... the united front somewhat reassures Madoka. The pinkette relaxes a little, returning to her lunch.
"On that note, though?" You look from Sayaka, to Madoka, to Hitomi. "Never, and I mean never, talk to an unfamiliar magical girl without backup. You won't know what they want, or what they could do."
"Ah... is there that much danger?" Hitomi asks, green eyes sharp as they focus on you.
You nod again. "There could be," you say, waving your chopsticks in the air. "Most magical girls are... selfish, at the least. Magical girls as nice as Mami are rare."
"Or you, Sabrina," Mami says, smiling warmly at you.
You shrug. "Anyway, point being, be careful, all of you."
Madoka nods seriously.
... you can't help but remember that her first reaction to finding you in an alleyway was to try and help you. And she cheerfully went along with Kyouko, once upon a never, even after her first and second introductions to the other girl was the redhead beating up Sayaka.
Hitomi's measured, thoughtful nod you can probably trust.
Sayaka shrugs. "Yeah, OK. So what else?"
You pick up some rice with your chopsticks and chew on it thoughtfully for a moment.
"Hmm..." you say. "As far as they'd've come, I don't expect they'll want to turn around."
Hitomi blinks slowly. "How far do you think they'll be coming from? I'm sorry, this is still new to me..."
"I... well," you temporize for a moment. You don't really want to bring Oriko's information up. "Certainly from around Japan, possibly as far as China? And... how fast does word travel, anyway, Mami? Homura?"
"That depends," Mami says. "Word usually travels by wandering magical girls, but I've heard there are some IRCs? Mostly they were set up by girls who split up." She shakes her head. "As near as Korea, and maybe as far as the US. I'm sorry, Sabrina... I can't say more precisely than that."
Which is pretty much the entire world.
"Don't apologise, Mami, that's plenty," you say firmly, laying your chopsticks down to give her a quick hug around the waist. "Hmm. With my power, it shouldn't be an issue to support a fair number of girls. Between clear Seeds and manual cleansing, I can keep them from running high on Grief."
"That many magical girls here will be a, a powderkeg," Mami notes, looking worried.
"Yeah," you agree. "That's what I'm afraid of."
"How bad could it be?" Sayaka asks glibly.
"First of all, don't taunt Murphy like that," you say tartly, waving a finger at the bleunette. "Second of all... teenaged girls, all with superpowers, quite possibly from across the world. It's a recipe for a disaster."
Hitomi chews her lip thoughtfully. "Ah... It seems to me that anyone who comes this far, as you said, would have already put in a large investment," she says, words careful and measured. "If they're so intent on coming here to meet you, Sabrina, wouldn't they want to stay on your good side?"
"I would hope so," you say. "But... what if they're here to... make me an offer I can't refuse? Recruit me by force? Or what if they're just desperate? I'm not sure all of them would be so... innocent."
"We'll defeat them," Mami says firmly. "Between the three -four, sorry, Sayaka- of us, I'm sure we'll win."
You wave your hand. "I just... That's going to be a huge mess. I don't want it happening here," you say. You purse your lips, considering. "We could probably rent them a penthouse or something to live in, I have enough money for that."
"Is that a concern?" Hitomi asks curiously. "If they're already flying all the way here, I don't think housing them is really a problem? I'm sure they can get hotel rooms or something..."
"Teleporting!" Sayaka says brightly. "I'm sure that's a kind of magic, right? So maybe they won't have hotels ready?"
"It's a kind of power," Mami says with a nod. "... Sabrina, how do you have enough money to rent a penthouse?"
You shrug. "Uh, remember when Homura and I raided the Yakuza?"
Mami blinks. "You... oh. Oh. You..."
"Yep," you say cheerfully. "Anyone wants to see what an bona-fide solid gold bar looks like?"
"... You stole from the yakuza?" Sayaka asks, expression torn between disbelief and amusement.
"Homura helped!" you say, pointing at the time traveller. "Well, more like she did all the work, I just tagged along for the shinies." You eye Hitomi. Sometimes, you speculate that she's actually a yakuza princess, but she just seems halfway exasperated and halfway disbelieving.
"Wasn't that dangerous?" Madoka asks, looking worried.
"Nah, not with Homura's powers," you say. "Right, Homura?"
She nods, violet eyes fixed on Madoka. "We weren't in any danger," she agrees.
"Oh... good," Madoka says, smiling a little in relief.
"So, yeah," you say, returning to your lunch. "That's a thing." You savour some of the vegetables, still crisp and crunchy.
"Um..." Mami says tentatively, looking up at you. "I think Hitomi's right, though. I don't think housing the incoming magical girls is going to be much of a problem."
"Hmm... that's fair," you say with a nod. "On the other hand, I have actual gold bars."
"You- gold bars- argh," Sayaka complains.
"It's true!" you say, putting down your chopsticks for a moment and holding out a hand. A moment later, a gold bar plops into your hand, dispensed by a blob of Grief. "See? I think these are pure gold, too."
You hold it out to the other girls - a small slab, not much larger than two fingers out together, but surprisingly heavy for something so small. Mami takes the bar from you, nearly dropping it in surprise.
"... Oh, Sabrina," she says with a fond sigh, turning the bar over in her hands.
"Meh," you say flippantly. "I couldn't not take them."
"Oh, Sabrina," Mami repeats, shaking her head with a smile. She passes the bar to Homura, who takes it, giving it a perfunctory look before passing it to Madoka.
You laugh. "What?"
"You stole gold bars from the yakuza," Sayaka says, starting to make strangling noises.
"Well, yeah," you say. "What else was I suppose to do?"
"But- I- argh-" Sayaka says.
Madoka pats her shoulder, handing her the gold bar. "Eat your lunch, Sayaka," she says.
Sayaka gives the pinkette a baleful glare. "Bah," she grumbles, fiddling with the gold bar. "This thing's a lot heavier than it looks."
Hitomi nods. "Gold is denser, remember?" The greenette, verdette, whatever-ette doesn't seem particularly perturbed by your looting the yakuza, so you'll chalk her down as not a Yakuza princess, then. That, or having a fantastic poker face.
"I know why, I'm just saying," Sayaka grumbles, passing the gold bar onwards.
Lunch proceeds on a lighter note, and you eventually finish, tucking away the gold bar back into the Grief constellation.
"By the way, Madoka?" you say as you pack away your lunch box, letting it clack away amidst the Grief marbles in your bag. "Could I talk with you a moment?"
"Ah? S-sure," Madoka says, giving you a curious, if startled, look. Mami gives you a puzzled look too, and you turn to give her a smile and a quick, one armed hug.
You catch Homura's gaze out of the corner of your eye. "I'm going to try and emphasise that she shouldn't contract," you send telepathically.
She nods fractionally. "Understood," she says. She hesitates for a moment, before continuing. "May I come along?"
[] Write-in
[X]Actually, Madoka...Can I talk to you for a minute? Take Madoka aside.
-[X]Madoka...you're probably one of the most important people here, honestly. And I...I want to ask for your help with something.
--[X]For magical girls, the most important thing...is really to be able to talk about their problems. To have someone they trust, who can keep their head on straight. That...goes for me too. There are always plenty of girls to fight,but what we really need is a good person who cares about us.
-[X]Madoka, you're a good person, and a good friend. Sayaka, Homura, Mami, me...We need someone like you. To keep our heads on straight, because sometimes it's easy to lose perspective...to think that there isn't anything we can do, or that there aren't people who care about us. And you care, a lot.
-[x]And...sometimes, I'm just not sure what to do. How to get through to people. There's one girl, I kind of messed up with her and now she doesn't really want to listen to me at all, and I'm worried for her. Can I ask for your advice with things like that, Madoka? I trust your judgement when it comes to things like that. More than I do my own, honestly.
[X]Just... there is so much more that we need other than a contract. Please, please don't make a deal with that... thing, okay?
=====​
Well that was fun. I accidentally uninstalled the desktop manager from my Linux computer. Whoops.
Last edited: Oct 9, 2015
Threadmarks This mortal coil pt. 5
- View content

#### Firnagzen

Operator

- Oct 11, 2015

- #63,763

Not much of a choice there. "Of course," you respond. You give her a quick smile, before turning to Mami. You slip your arm around her in another one armed hug. "We'll be just a few minutes, OK?"
"Alright," she says, returning the smile. She's obviously curious, but she doesn't ask.
You stand, and the three of you head around the corner of the stairwell to talk away from the others. You turn around, finding Madoka looking at you, faint confusion on her face while Homura hovers protectively beside the other girl.
You give Homura a quick smile. Trust me.
She nods fractionally, her violet eyes never leaving yours.
"A-ah, Sabrina? Homura?" Madoka asks, looking between the two of you. "What's this about?"
Homura blinks slowly, tilting her head at you, and Madoka obligingly turns to you, her eyes worried.
A deep breath, and you focus on Madoka. "Madoka...you're probably one of the most important people here, honestly," you say, choosing your words with care. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Homura stiffen. "And, well, I... I want to ask for your help with something."
"I- ah? W-what can I do?" Madoka asks, voice tremulous.
"More than you know," you say, trying to project confidence. The best lie is one that's true. She can do so much more than she knows. "For us magical girls... the most important thing is really to be able to talk about our problems."
"I... Oh. But you're so strong," Madoka says.
You shake your head, smiling sadly. "I know it doesn't feel like much. But it is. To have someone who we can trust, who can keep their head on straight. And I do mean we, Madoka, myself included. It's a lot. It's..." A wave of the hand, as you search for the words. "There are always girls to help fight, but what's rarer, what we need is a good person who cares about us."
"I... I don't understand," Madoka says. "I-is something wrong? I- of course I'll be your friend, Sabrina, and you, Homura. And Sayaka and Mami!"
"Um," you say, mind skidding to a halt as you frantically back up on your speech. "No, Nothing's wrong, per se, just... I'm getting kind of stressed, and I'm worried about you."
"Worried about me?" Madoka asks, pink eyes huge and worried. "A-ah... Nothing's happened to me. Not like Sayaka or you or H-homura or Mami."
"We don't want you to make a contract," Homura says bluntly.
"I-I wasn't thinking about it!" Madoka protests weakly, the little hitch in her throat giving voice to the lie.
Homura seizes the pinkette by the shoulders, spinning Madoka to face her. "Madoka, please. It's not worth it. Nothing's worth you making a contract."
"H-Homura?" Madoka stammers.
"Just... please, don't make a contract," Homura says, quiet despair in her voice. You keep an eye on her Soul Gem - nothing too bad.
"W-what's wrong?" Madoka asks, seeming to sag in on herself. "I- I won't. I won't make a contract, b-but what's wrong?"
"Nothing, not really," you say, trying to reassure her. You step forward, laying a gentle hand on Madoka's shoulder. "Madoka... yeah. We are concerned about you making a contract, Sayaka notwithstanding. It's not worth it, and... there's so much more that we need other than a contract."
"Ah... OK," Madoka says, sounding more confused than anything, what with Homura still clutching at her shoulders in a death grip, head bowed.
You sigh again. "Madoka, you're a good person, and a good friend. Sayaka, Homura, Mami... me. We need someone like you, to keep our heads on straight." You pause, as you hear what you just said.
... in your defense, you hadn't intended the pun.
And Charlotte's long gone, anyway.
"But yeah," you say, shaking your head. "Sometimes... it's easy to lose perspective, to think that there isn't anythng we can do, or that there aren't people who care about us."
"That's not true!" Madoka protests, interrupting you. "I care about everyone!"
Yeah. There's the problem isn't it?
"I know," you say. "And that's so very much, Madoka."
"B-but," Madoka stutters, soft pink eyes darting from Homura to you, and then back again. "I- I don't- what's happening, in the first place?"
[] Write-in
=====​
Hmmm.
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