Welcome to Phansite archive (beta)
You'll find here all archived threads from the Phansite forum.
Resonant Hearts
Note: As with my previous thread, all of the participants here have already been discussed and decided on the Phansite discord that is can be found as the last post in the Forum rules, as well as other places on the site. Without further ado, lets get started.
Homura and Madoka
it had been a few days since their meeting with Suzuki and heard of the series of disappearances that had riddled the city. The victims of which had all shared something in common suggesting they were deliberate targets. With few leads and an unknowable deadline the pair had decided it was worth checking in on their old friend and potential target, Sayaka Miki. So on one of their less busy days the pair heads to the girl's apartment in the middle of town.
The building doesn't stand out much, save for an old banner advertising their friend's delivery service. As might be expected of a crowded apartment, there's an intercom at the entrance with a button labeled for each of its residents, including that former friend of theirs.
Kohaku
Kohaku hadn't noticed much of anything out of the ordinary. Well, ordinary for her anyways, fighting criminals and monsters whenever she finds them as she leaps around the city.
While on a fairly routine patrol the girl would pass over a pair of her friends, Madoka and Homura. While she may not be able to tell what they're talking about as they head towards an apartment complex, their expressions seem troubled.
Sonomi
It started off as a normal day for Sonomi, she went to work, socialized with her coworkers, and made it all the way near the end of her shift without anything notable coming up. It wasn't until the day was almost over that she'd see a familiar, white, catlike creature waiting patiently for her. She'd dealt with Kyubey a few times before, so it wasn't anything particularly strange in that regard either.
Kyubey: "I hope everything's been working out for you."
of course, none of these were actually spoken. The creature would always communicate its thoughts directly to the girl, with no need for noise. It was a friendly, casual way of speaking without being overheard.
Damon
while Homura and Madoka were looking into their friend, a certain dark-haired youth took to the streets to look for one of the other two girls. Just to be safe, Suzuki had left him with a picture of a fairly short, brown-haired girl who always dressed casually so he'd be able to recognize Ruriko Imamura, as well as a warning not to mention her.
With zero real leads into her location he was left mostly to his own devices, looking into some of the usual cool hangout spots for kids Ruriko's apparent age.
Capri
Capri, of course, was ignorant of a greater scheme occurring in the world around her. Instead she simply continues with her normal routine, walking around the city, mostly to the less occupied parts to gather her thoughts more effectively. One such place she finds is an old arcade. Though the place hadn't been closed down yet it was hard to see how. In spite of the fact school was over and most students were likely out and about, the place seemed almost eerily empty.
"Ah.. Akemi-senpai and Kan-... Sis.
.,... Looks like they're doing something serious...
A witch perhaps?"
Interested, she hops down from the rooftop she's on and tails them, listening in on them.
She's not trying to particularly stealthy though as she doesn't really mind if they notice her.
Madoka runs up to the other pink-haired and smiles brightly despite the nature of their trip. Homura simply stares at the intercom and sighs. Pressing the button to turn it on and hoping to tell her way through this.
M: "Hi Kohaku-Chan! How have you been lately? We're uh... Looking for someone, another friend of ours. I hope you're alright though!"
H: "Hello there, I was wondering if I could take a look at the apartment of Sayaka Miki. She's a friend of mine, and I haven't seen her in a while. At the least, does anyone know the last time she was in?"
Madoka looks over at her partner at work. Simply waiting alongside the magical girl for now as Homura rubs the back of her head.
Sonomi peeked from over her phone to see Kyubey, a grin forming on her face as she puts her phone away to start engaging in some nice conversation. The earphones would pointlessly go away too, since she wouldn't have heard him if not for the telepathy.
"Doing a lot better now that I've gotten used to it. How's your day?"
She says in a bit of a tired tone. Gotten used to it. Can apply for a lot really. But thankfully, everyday's been relatively monotonous, so it might not change...right? Kyubey's here where she is, at this point that's a non-factor.
*Pri would stop outside the old arcade and look inside. her fingers would nervously drum against her shield as she looks.*
Empty...
*She would murmur. On one hand, that meant she didn't have to worry about how badly she did since there was no-one else around to laugh at her for failing. Pri had always wanted to try arcade games but was scared what people would think if they watched her and saw her doing bad and then they'd start laughing and making fun and throwing-*
Stop...
* Pri would take a deep breath, stopping her thoughts from going wild. She looks again. The problem was that it was empty. It creeped her out. Even so, Pri would enter the Arcade. She called in as she past through the doors.*
H-Hello?
Kohaku's head tilts a little.
I'm fine.
Has this friend gone missing or something?
Is there anything I can help with?
Hmm never knew how difficult it was to find one person in an entire city.
Damon hums out as he take another peek around the corner of the building. Not one to be bored for long he can be seen listening to some music through a pair of earbuds connected to his bag. In his hands are a few fries from the local fast food place he stopped by before continuing his search. As he munches on his fries he mutters.
Should have asked if there was some sort of tracking spell to find people. This is way too much walking for the kind of shoes i'm in.
He sighs and crouches down to rest his poor, abused feet.
Homura and friends
It would take a few seconds for the landlord to answer. His reply is curt, as if he has more than enough business on his hands.
Landlord: "Yeah I know them. Nice girl, haven't left their room in a while though. Probably won't want to see you. Welcome to try I guess."
there's an electric buzzing sound as the apartment's front door unlocks. Afterwards the man once again replies
Landlord: "Third floor, room 312."
Sonomi
Kyubey takes the reply as permission to get closer. The creature would remain pacing by her side for a few moments as he asks
"You're almost done working right?"
completely ignoring Sonomi's own polite question. The creature looks outwards towards the door as he continues
"Seem to be alone today too. I take it Asena is busy?"
Capri
The door slowly creaks open as Capri enters the arcade. There are a few rows of old games situated right by the doorway, seeming to obscure her view as she goes further in.
Its almost eerily quiet, with the only sounds being that of a few video game cabinets going through their demo screens. It almost seems as though she can hear a voice behind the noise.
Damon
Damon takes a few seconds to rest and watch the passerby, drained from his search. He watches the crowds pass by, milling about on their own busy days as he is left waiting. While Damon waits he'd find a small, white, cat-like creature crossing his path. He wouldn't pick up much of anything from it, almost as if its simply a phantom. However, the creature would soon turn his way, its beady red eyes looking into his.
Kyubey: "Its been a long day hasn't it?"
Damon feels a little unsettled by the beady red eyes, but he still holds out his bag of fries to the creature. Offering them as a sign of mutual peace.
Yeah it has been a pretty slow day. I was tasked with finding this one girl but I underestimated the loosing oneself in the crowd. So now i'm pretty ragged despite my chivalrous attempts to defend some fair maiden.
He yawns and stretches out his body before shaking his head.
Next time i'll ask for more info to go off of for a search.
*Pri timidly steps in. She hand goes to her shield, grabbing it by the side as her eyes dart around the abandoned arcade. She mewls nervously. I need to leave. I need to leave. I need to leave. I need to-*
H-Hello? Is... Is anyone here?
* Against her better judgement, Pri stays, calling in slightly louder.*
In response to a question going unanswered, she glared at him for a split second before stretching her arms and yawning, keeping one eye open to look at Kyubey shifting around.
“Pretty much, yeah. And also, Asena’s busy taking aesthetic pictures with that camera around her neck. Don’t know why she isn’t using her phone but whatever. Guess the quality matters a lot.”
Sonomi put a finger on her chin to think some more, standing upright and tapping her foot a little as she simply stared at the little feline creature thing to pass some time whilst in thought.
“Oh right, was it bad that he was around? It felt like there was something important that you were supposed to tell me.
Homura thanks the man with a worried smile on her face while beckoning the two pink-haired girls forward.
H: "Well, that was simple... Somehow I don't think things will keep going so well for long."
Madoka sighs upon hearing those words from her friend, she can't disagree but it's still rather depressing to consider what might have happened to Sayaka...
M: "Yeah Homura, I'm worried too. But there's nothing to do except keep going, you're welcome to come if you wanna Kohaku."
The two girls would walk forward, Madoka wrapping an arm around her partner's shoulder as they advance up the stairs and head towards Sayaka's door.
Ok.
I'll do my best to help.
Kohaku nods and follows behind the two.
Homura and friends
The halls seem strangely empty as they head up to the third floor, with none of the complex's residents in sight. Perhaps they were all simply out for the day. Regardless their trip is an eventless one, and soon they would find themselves in front of the door in question, room 312. There's a faint light shining through the crack in the otherwise plain door, but no sounds or other evidence of residence can be found at the moment. Its almost like the whole building has gone silent.
Sonomi
Kyubey slowly shakes his head, eyes closed as he continues pacing. The creature begins moving towards the door as they talk
Kyubey: "I don't have a problem with them, if that's what you were asking. And besides, its too late to worry about that now. We'll need to be going quickly. Anywhere is fine."
there's a certain sense of urgency in his normally monotonous voice as Kyubey's long, fluffy tail begins waving in the air.
Capri
There's a pause, a moment of silence following Capri's question. This pause is followed by a faint flash of light coming from the back side of the arcade, hidden by a few of the arcade cabinets. Who, or whatever it was seems satisfied with that, and makes no further motions for now...
Damon
Damon's own white creature accepts one fry, quickly munching it down before cleaning his fur a little. As the creature cleans its voice can be heard clearly inside Damon's head
Kyubey: "Ruriko, right? Suzuki told me about the situation. I was simply curious myself. Why is it you're trying to help someone you've never even met? Simply bored, or is there something mroe?"
* Pri takes a few more timid steps towards the faint light.*
H-Hello? Are you... OK?
* Pri swallows hard, almost certain that this was a bad idea. And yet, if this was a person who was injured, she had to at least try to help. It's what her mother would do, so she was going to do the same. So, she approached the back of the arcade to find the source of the light.*
H: "Come on, Masakukaja."
Homura sighs very heavily, she has a solid and terrible guess as to what might happen. Clapping her hands togother a green light shines over all three of them for a moment, and soon enough Madoka has a bow tossed into her hands and a quiver placed on her back by the black-haired girl.
M: "H-Homura... You don't think that..."
H: "Maybe, I'm not planning to take my chances by just walking in carelessly. There's a chance she may have gone witch at this point, if its really been days with all this going on... Best to be ready for a fight."
A grenade launcher appears in Homura's hands while she walks forward, weapon aimed forward and a hand on the trigger as her eyes dart about. Shadows flickering all around her, while Madoka seems to shake slightly for a second before simply placing an arrow in her bow and holding it ready while advancing behind her partner.
M: "Be best to get ready on your end too, Kohaku-chan... If Homura's right then well, only one thing to do."
The pink-haired girl's voice is rather strained while saying this, and the other simply goes quiet for now and focuses on what's in front of her. If they reached Sayaka's door, she'd simply kick the damn thing in with rather startling strength for a teenage girl.
"Uhm...we got to go, I know that, but uh, uhm...why would you say anywhere again?"
Honestly might be a stupid question to ask in hindsight, but the sudden spike of urgency flowing in the air made her really confused as she wasn't really adapting to it well enough. Sonomi looked at Kyubey with an anxious gaze as she plays with her hair to try and calm down.
"Is there a way to get out of here super quickly without anyone noticing? If I have to tell them I have to leave early they might reject it."
Though there might've been a super easy answer to the question, she was making it more apparent how airheaded she can get when tension rises. Then again, Kyubey communicates through telepathy so he totally has a solution she isn't thinking about at all.
... Right.
Already in her transformation, Kohaku steps back a little and prepares herself.
"So this friend of theres was a magical girl..."
Before the door is opened, Kohaku reaches out with her senses to see if there's any sign of magic on the other side of the door.
Damon ponders on the question presented to him. Taking some time to get back to the white creature, but the answer he gives is rather careless.
Yep I am pretty bored so I decided why not. It's not everyday I get to protect some princess with magic.
He finished his fries and rests his head to one side.
Maybe if I do a good enough job people will start taking me seriously~
His eyes focus on Kyubey after he says this.
So any idea where I might find this Ruriko?
Homura and co.
Despite the uneasy atmosphere the three’s trip to Sayaka’s room would be notable only in how little happened. None of the neighbors peeked out, the owner was nowhere to be seen, it was simply a peaceful, if tense, walk to Sayaka’s door.
Kohaku would stand near the door, and she would find one magic signature, it’s a weak one, one she’s likely used to by now....
The door is knocked over with a loud crash as the totally ordinary wooden door is blown off its hinges, revealing the room within.
Sayaka’s room is mostly blue, as one might expect, and has one bed, a mat laying on the floor, a nightstand and a dresser, both topped with a few small figures from some manga, as well as a portable CD player that seems to have been abandoned. There’s also a small bookshelf filled mostly with manga, though there are also some CDs to help fill up the rows. This bookshelf sits in a space near which two doors are housed, one leading into a small bathroom, and the other one closed, likely to a closet
Lying on the bed and roused to wakefulness is a white creature with beady red eyes that would be familiar to all three of the girls. Kyubey stretches for a second before asking
Kyubey: “Why is it that all you humans have doors if you’re just going to break them anyways?”
Sonomi
Kyubey pauses and looks back at Sonomi, his Brady red eyes boring into her before he continues walking towards the door
Kyubey: “I wouldn’t be too worried about that. There’s a grief seed about to hatch nearby and I’d rather you not get hurt when it does.”
Kyubey stops moving once more as it looks to an area just outside the door before mentioning
Kyubey: “unless you’re planning to fight the witch that comes out, leaving’s our best option.”
Capri
Pri cautiously approaches the video game cabinets, wary of even the slightest sound. Soon enough her fears are confirmed when she hears a shout followed by a girl she’s... Unfortunatrly acquainted with with short blue hair jumping over the cabinets with sword in hand. Though they were clearly attempting an ambush upon realizing their target the girl stops themselves from slashing, instead landing near Capri with a sigh
Blue-hair: “great, it’s you again. You sure you’re not a Magical Girl?”
Damon
Kyubey takes a few steps back before he begins pacing in circles, simply preferring to be in motion as he continues
Kyubey: “Protecting a Princess, huh? Well if you’re expecting some fairy-tail damsel I think you’ll be disappointed in the result, but yes. I was just on my way to meet her myself, so if you’re about ready I can lead you. Just like one of those stories right?”
Kyubey would wait for a moment to give Damon the chance to stand back up before heading off towards one of the less occupied areas of town, an older part filled mostly with small businesses and the owners who live above them.
Yumina looks in the room and lets out a sigh of relief as she lets her guard down.
Oh thank jeedis....
It's just you...
Do you know where the owner of this home is?
We're looking for her.
"A grief seed?...you mean like those things that pop out whenever a witch gets killed? Uh, why would it be here though?"
She pulls out her phone again, thinking about calling Asena over, but instead just pretends to check the time since Sonomi was moreso worried about more interactions between the two. So to pass some more time, she asks more questions.
"I'm not going to fight it obviously, but if that's the case, where are we supposed to go then?"
Eep!
*Pri insitictively crouches down, cowering, as the blue haired girl leaps at her. Her shield flies in front of her to defend her from any attack. After hearing her voice, Pri peeks over the edge of her shield.*
Y-Y-You're... that m-mean person who was s-so intent on f-fighting. Why are you h-here and trying to kill me? Are you still m-mad about the other day? Oh... I-I'm not going to f-fight you so p-lease don't kill me. I'm s-sure it'll be more annoying t-then satisfying.
Damon appreciates the gesture and starts jogging to keep up with Kyubey. He carries his backpack in both of his arms instead of simply wearing it again. Allowing him to catch a glimpse of everything he passes in case the white creature is tricking him. He mutters under his breath.
You could be a fairy godmother helping me out or a devil leading me into a trap. Can't wait to find out which it is.
Homura sighs as her weapon vanishes, Madoka's too. Not because they trust this thing, but because they can't hurt it.
H: "I guess I could have tried to pick it. Might have been fun. Anyways what she said."
Madoka just watches quietly for the moment, clearly uncomfortable with the presence of Kyubey. Sparks glimmer around the girl while she leans against her friend. Homura meanwhile points at Kohaku and speaks on.
H: "All things considered, I half expected a fight. Guess not though, so yeah we're looking for Sayaka."
Homura and co.
Kyubey stands up, his tail swishing back and forth as the creature paces across the bed, treading lightly enough as to not disturb the covers as he looks over to Kohaku
Kyubey: "Its nice to see you again Kohaku, at least someone's not carrying a grudge."
Kyubey's beady red eyes looks over to regard the others, pointing them out before continuing as if he hadn't said anything.
Kyubey: "I'm glad to see we have a shared interest then. I was hoping you would be willing to stop Sayaka for me. I've tried talking to her myself. But she.. Doesn't seem interested in listening to me anymore. I can't imagine why."
Kyubey pauses for a moment, his eyes drift off towards the closet as he awaits the others' replies.
Sonomi
Kyubey pauses for a moment, looking back at Sonomi as he thinks. Soon he's back to walking circles around the girl
Kyubey: "Grief seeds are much more than just a reward. They're like an egg from which a Witch will hatch after gathering enough despair. It was probably just thrown here by another witch that happened to be passing by. It doesn't really matter where we go. Unless..."
once again Kyubey would take a few steps towards the door before pausing to look back at Sonomi
Kyubey: "Have you thought about your wish yet? If you were to make a contract with me you'd be more than a match for any newly-hatched witch."
Capri
The blue-haired girl quickly tosses away her swords, raising her hands up as she kinda just blurts out
blue-hair: "H.. Hey what do you take me for? I'm not some psycho who kills people for fun. My job is to protect this city, not destroy it."
The girl looks back towards the entrance before letting out a sigh.
blue-hair: "I just.. Thought you were like that brown-haired girl earlier. Its nothing... Really."
Soon enough she'd look back at Capri, making a half-decent attempt at a smile before giving the girl a little warning.
blue-hair: "Anyways, don't you have somewhere to be, its uh.. Pretty dangerous here... Though, I guess you can't feel that."
Damon
Damon passes by a few notable things, a dog statue, a couple of restaurants, a CD store filled with music that seemed to be all the rage these days, but nothing seems to jump out to bite him as he follows Kyubey through the streets.
The white creature would soon turn off the main streets, heading to a less occupied part of town. They don't seem to mind Damon's lack of small talk, letting them focus on the job ahead instead.
Soon enough the creature would stop in a park a short distance off the side of the road. Its not a very impressive place, acting as more of a resting area than anything else, only a couple of benches looking into a bed of flowers. Kyubey seems satisfied with it, jumping onto one of the benches and curling up as he waits.
H-Huh?
* Slowly, Pri rises to her feet. She makes a motion with her hand, causing her shield moves through the air and floats by her side. She shifts nervously on her feet.*
S-So you're not going to try to kill me? That's a r-relief. I, erm... I just wanted to... I mean... I...
*Pri pulls the edge of her hood down slightly, hiding her eyes.*
I...erm... w-w-what do you mean by... dangerous... exactly?
Kohaku tilts her head in curiosity.
Huh? Why would I hold....?
Nevermind...
You can explain the situation while we make our way to her right?
Show us where she is please.
Kohaku opens the window and leans out, making a show of it to urge the others on.
Damon sighs when he realizes he passed all the other cool stuff for a place with dirt and flowers. Its calm, but doesn't scream exciting or interesting. Kyubey curling up on a bench isnt too promising either.
Hey pal what happened to the girl and the magic stuff.
He pokes Kyubey's tail with some annoyance.
Don't tell me that I followed you for nothing.
"...I-i,"
While it would be more safe to run, Sonomi thought to herself, it'd be better to take care of it now. This way, the witch won't be able to grow and hurt anyone. It might have spawned here...but it was most likely for an actual reason.
"I've...made up my mind. Since you've asked so nicely..."
Surely, they won't know? Right?...if it's taken care of now, her friends won't have to waste their time trying to take care of it. And then, there's no way that they'll have a way of finding out that Sonomi is finally about to do it.
"Here's my wish, Kyubey. I wish to be able to give people a voice."
To give them hope. To give them strength. To make them smile. Having a voice can do all of these things. Especially so that they won't have to waste time trying to protect Sonomi whenever she merely exists in the same plane as these things.
Homura sighs while staring at the alien beast, she doesn't really trust it at all. But there's no other leads they have at the moment... Best to stay on guard though. She simply nods while Madoka speaks up in a quiet voice.
M:"I guess we do have something in common here, yes... I'm not entirely sure if she'll listen to me either, but I have to try. Somehow, this all feels like my fault."
The black-haired girl would grind her teeth against each other even while speaking up, Madoka's words clearly having annoyed her.
H: "Your fault? Don't blame yourself for the actions of others, it's regrettable to be sure. But you can hardly claim to be behind what Sayaka is doing."
M: "... Yeah, I know you're right. But it doesn't seem that way, not really. Anyways yeah, any clue where Sayaka is?"
The pinkette simply sighs slightly while rubbing the back of her head.
Homura and co.
Kyubey stops pacing and sits down once more, shaking his head
Kyubey: "Even if I knew where Sayaka was it wouldn't be a good idea for me to lead you to her. However there is a better solution."
Kyubey flicks his tail a couple of times as he looks towards the closet, his voice once again ringing out to its occupant.
Kyubey: "You can come out now Kamilla. They're safe."
The closet door cracks open as its occupant peeks outside. After making sure there's no monsters or anything, the door is opened a little more as a young girl with soft, lavender hair peeks out from behind the doorway, her eyes darting about like a deer looking to escape.
Kamilla: "Um.. H.. Hello.."
Sonomi
Kyubey nods, acknowledging Sonomi's resolve as he perches up on a nearby windowsill
Kyubey: "There's normally more of a ritual than this but.. Considering the situation I'll skip some of the fanfare. Now close your eyes, and I'll grant your wish."
Kyubey would wait for Sonomi to close her eyes before continuing. While no one is around, Kyubey would reach out, the fluffy appendages dangling from his ears stretching out towards Sonomi. Once they reach the girl, they would pass straight through Sonomi, leaving an uncomfortable feeling as he grabs hold of her potential
Kyubey: "Your wish has overcome entropy, now accept it, and bring hope to the world."
Kyubey would next retract his arms, pulling out a small, egg-shaped gem from within the girl, which slowly descends for Sonomi to catch.
Capri
The blue-haired girl sighs and strikes her forehead with the palm of her head as she slowly shakes it.
Blue-hair: "Look, I think we really got off on the wrong foot earlier. Lets just... Start over alright? I'm Sayaka Miki, resident Magical Girl and guardian of this town."
Sayaka would straighten back up and reach a hand out for a handshake. Whether or not Capri accepted the girl would scratch the back of her head.
Sayaka: "Well, as I was saying my job's to go out and hunt these monsters called witches so they don't get the chance to hurt anyone."
Sayaka would draw one of her katana-like blades from beneath her cape and point further into the seemingly endless arcade.
Sayaka: "and sure enough there's one down here. There's no telling what it'll do when its cornered so its better if you get out of here and let me handle it."
Damon
Kyubey remains undisturbed for the most part, only making a single effort to swat away Damon's hand with his tail as he notes
Kyubey: "You're not very patient are you? I know the schedules of every Magical Girl in this city. It should be right about...."
Sure enough, soon a rather short girl with long, brown hair wearing casual dress steps out from the street opposite Damon, with a face he might remember from the picture he was given. The girl doesn't seem to notice him at first, immediately glaring at Kyubey
Ruriko: "Great, what do you want this time you little rat. I don't have any seeds to dispose of if that's what this is about."
Kyubey: "I actually came to warn you about something, but I believe it would be better to leave that to our guest."
Ruriko's gaze shifts to Damon, her hands slip inside the pocket of her lavender hoodie to bring out a piece of gum which she proceeds to unwrap as she asks.
Ruriko: "And who exactly is this loser?"
..........
W-wait? Don't know?
Don't you have like.. a mental link with magical girls or something?
She shuts up when the girl comes out.
Surprised, she smiles at the girl.
Hello.
I'm Kohaku.
Nice to meet you.
*Pri slowly and hesitantly extends her hand to meet Sayaka's hand shake. In the end, she barely touches Sayaka's hand before nervously retracting it.*
S-Sayaka Miki. OK. Oh, I'm C-Capricorn. I'm sorry it's such a mouthful, so please j-just call me Pri.
*Witches Pri thinks. Wasn't that what that monster from the Library was called? Aunt Gemini told me to leave them alone but... Pri looks at Sayaka, trying to calm her nerves. I know mama wouldn't just let them hurt people.*
W-Wait! I... I want to h-help you. I know you h-have no reason to trust me after... everything. But I... I think I've fought one of these Witch things before and... well... they hurt people and I can't just let... I...erm...
*Despite trying to sound confidant, Pri's voice eventually trails off into mumbles. She looks at her feet.*
Sorry.
Sonomi glances around the room before nodding at Kyubey, staring with a kind intent. Less of a ritual means more time to deal with this.
“That’ll be fine. I understand.”
Was all she replied with before she shut her eyes and braced herself. She tries to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that flows through her, but Sonomi’s body takes it a bit literally as it twitches slightly.
Finally, after a little wince, Sonomi opened one of her eyes nervously, then looked at the egg that came out with a calm gaze. She held it a bit close to her as if she were almost hugging it.
“It’s what my sister would have done, after all.”
Damon lets out an offended chuff as he glares at the girl for the slight. He really does hope she isn't one of those warm hot people he keeps meeting that change attitude at the drop of a hat. That is pretty annoying to deal with. Or the kind that pretends to be tough, but freezes up in battle. That is annoying and inconvenient.
I am the loser that has been tasked with protecting your pretty little head meanie.
He childishly sticks out his tongue before continuing.
So apparently a whole lotta magical princesses like yourself are being kidnapped or something. Which is apparently bad because -
Damons actually doesn't know why that is bad so he really just stops there. Poking at Kyubey's tail once again he curiously asks.
Hey fluffball why is it bad for these youngins to be kidnapped? Can't they defend themselves from whatever wants to snack on them in the middle of the night?
Madoka waves to the new girl slightly, smiling a bit even as she's mildly confused why this person was hiding in a closet. She'd snicker slightly as well, but leaves it alone.
Homura meanwhile is simply watching the newcomer with slightly wary eyes. It's strange, and this one's working with Kyubey... But for the moment she'll merely keep an eye out and greet them with a cautious friendliness.
M: "Ah, hello there! I'm Madoka, nice to meet you I'm sure. You've got some kind of trick for finding people, then?"
H: "Homura, judging by the way you were hiding I'll assume you aren't at home on a battlefield. That's fine though, we can manage ourselves if it comes to anything like that."
Homura and co.
Kamilla finally steps out of the closet, nervously bowing to the other three girls as her eyes drift to the now broken front door. She takes a moment to adjust herself before actually replying.
Kamilla: "Um.. N.. Nice to meet you, Kohaku-san. Are you..."
The girl's eyes lighten up a bit as she looks over Kohaku's outfit. She nervously adjusts her shirt before asking.
Kamilla: "A... Are you... Like Sayaka?"
Kyubey: "If you mean a Magical Girl, then yes. She is."
with Kyubey's answer, Kamilla would run over to Kohaku, feeling safer with the girl like her guardian than the other two strangers. Kamilla uses Kohaku as something to hide behind as she addresses Madoka and Homura. Though she almost seems to want to run.
Kamilla. "I.. Um... No.... Are you... Sayaka's friends? I mean... I overheard a bit..."
Sonomi
As Sonomi grabs hold of her soul gem, she'd begin to notice herself able to.. Tune in, to the thoughts of those around her. It wasn't much, but she'd be able to effectively listen in on thoughts, or connect people together in this way, in addition to the general Meguca abilities (you'll have to work on an outfit and fighting style yourself).
Now that the work is done, Kyubey would wait a moment to let Sonomi get used to her new existence before commenting
Kyubey: "Are you about ready? The Witch is going to hatch soon so we'll probably want to be ready to face it."
Capri
Sayaka looks over Pri for a moment, it'd definitely be safer if Pri were to leave, but from their last encounter she's not really worried about Pri's ability to defend herself, so after a brief pause Sayaka scratches the back of her head.
Sayaka: "I uh... If you're sure I guess you can tag along. Just.. Don't worry about me ok? Keep yourself out of trouble and I don't mind you watching."
it was kinda nice to be able to order someone around anyways, and now that she thinks of it, Sayaka could use this as a chance to explain herself, if nothing else. The girl turns towards the back of the arcade and begins walking.
Sayaka: "Just stay a fair bit behind me and don't worry. I'm basically impossible to hurt. Just bounce back in seconds."
The girl tries to keep an upbeat tone but she's noticeably tense as she walks down the hall, occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure Pri was keeping up.
Damon
Ruriko blows a bubble while Damon explains himself before, her eyes narrow a bit, wary as she looks over the new boy and the creature who brought him there. She'd scoff at the princess remark before replying
Ruriko: "You can't be serious right? You look like you haven't fought a day in your life."
Once again Kyubey's even voice simply breaks through the space, speaking directly to the pair
Kyubey: "If they could defend themselves they wouldn't be going missing, would they?"
Ruriko: "And what, you think I can't? I've been doing this gig for years."
Ruriko redirects her anger to Kyubey, glaring now at the small white creature as she remarks with a self-satisfied smile.
Ruriko: "I'll have you know I've already met this little killer of yours. Kicked her ass too."
R-Right! I promise n-not to hold you b-back.
* Timidly, Pri walks behind Sayaka, letting the more experianced girl lead the way. She would clip her shield back onto her arm, causing it to close into a smaller shape. She would look at the ground, her hood hiding her eyes if Sayaka were to look back at her. After a while of silence, Pri would clear her throat.*
S-So...erm... I-If I may, why were you and m-miss health inspector f-fighting last time? Y-You mentioned you were both... magic or s-something? S-So shouldn't y-you be working t-together?
Upon further inspection, Sonomi was now adorned with a ruffled, collared lilac and white dress with a lavender bow on the front, as well as white cuffed boots that go up towards her knees. On her right arm was a black, transparent arm band, and on her left arm was a white arm band with a fluffy bracelet.
Her short cut, blue hair was now wrapped in two tiny bun loops, and on her head was a large, purple bow over her white headband, with multiple mini flower hair-clips accompanying it. A flamboyant and striking ribbon cape flowed from behind her, complete with a bow tied behind her head and wrapped around her back. Like her outfit, the cape was colored both light and faded shades of purple.
“I feel...different...”
Sonomi spun around briefly to see how she moved in her new outfit, before letting her focusing her previously starry eyes towards Kyubey, facing him with a determined look. Inside her was a newfound power that she doesn’t really know what to do with.
“...and raring to go.”
Homura rubs the back of her head while looking at the young girl, Madoka smiling kindly despite their... Rough intro, it'd be best to get the kid calmed down somewhat if they can.
H: "Yes we are... And um, sorry about the door. I kind of expected something else in here, I can help with the repairs sometime..."
M: "Haha, yeah I've known Sayaka for a long time. That's why I've gotta try and do something. Please don't worry, we'll do our best to help!"
She isn't sure if that's actually good enough, even while grinning and showing confidence. But there's nothing to be done except try, really. Homura clears her throat for a moment before going on. Smiling slightly and speaking in a calm tone.
H: "Anyway, we're ready to go whenever. Though you don't have to get involved honestly, if you don't want then don't feel forced."
Ah....
She pats the girl on the head comfortingly.
Akemi-senpai and Sis were magical girls once too.
And they're Miki-senpai's allies.
So you can trust them.
Hey I've fought against some st-
Damon hesitantly stops mid sentence as he watches Ruriko and Kyubey argue among themselves. He knows that sometimes the best way to get info is to just let two people have at it so he does. When they finally finish he looks to Ruriko with a surprised glance.
So who exactly was this infamous magical girl kidnapper?
Homura and co.
Kamilla seems to calm down a bit, at least their grip on Kohaku's cape loosens, although they're still hiding behind the other girl. The girl closes her eyes as she receives headpats, unused to the situation, yet it doesn't seem to be bad so the girl accepts it before nodding slowly.
Kamilla: "Um.. Ok.. H.. Homura-san, Madoka-san. I'm... I'd like to... I mean if it'd help."
the girl stutters a bit again, before simply nodding and staying close to Kohaku, reluctant to leave the other girl.
As for Kyubey, he leaves the bed, jumping over to Sayaka's windowsill before turning back to the group.
Kyubey: "Now that you know each other my job here's done. Good luck."
and with that, he's out the window and simply gone, vanished to both sight and magic senses as he goes... Wherever it is Kyubeys go, leaving the group with a young child.
Were Kohaku to try scanning, she'd notice three other sources of magic, each highly similar to each other, circling the building. One of them's already taking a spot in wait around the window, while the other two are inside.
Simply Looking outside would provide no insight to what's happening.
Sonomi
Kyubey almost seems to smile as he heads for the door once more, if nothing else it seems like he'll be watching this time.
Following him just to the front of the studio, Sonomi would be able to feel a surge of energy as the witch's barrier is formed. Though normal people wouldn't be able to see or feel it, Sonomi would have a general idea of the barrier's location in the otherwise uncrowded street.
Kyubey: "Alright, now all you have to do is focus on its position, and force open the labyrinth. If we're quick enough it might not even have the chance to fully form. Then everyone'll be safe."
Capri
As Capri follows Sayaka, the walls gradually change from the smooth arcade cabinets to more pixelated ones, finally to simple black and blue walls like one might see in a Pac-Man game. Pri and her companion Sayaka are totally unaffected by this change, and the other girl doesn't seem bothered by it, as normal as this had become to her and instead simply moves forward silently for a bit before answering her.
Sayaka: "Its... Complicated and I'm not entirely sure if you'd believe me even if I talked about it. Instead lets... Well... Answer this, where is it that you think Witches come from?"
Damon
Ruriko leans back, putting her hands in her pockets once more before giving a curt reply.
Ruriko: "Some blue-haired psycho. They weren't too keen on telling me their name anyways. Had to be like me though."
Ruriko blows another bubble as she glances around the park. Getting somewhat bored, she simply starts to walk off.
Ruriko: "Anyways, If that's all you two were interested in I've gotta get patrolling. Try not to get yourself killed oh brave knight."
Kyubey makes no motion to follow her, in fact he almost seems to have disappeared while they were talking, leaving the other two alone again.
This is... wierd...
*Pri would be distracted from the strange new area by Sayaka's question. Pri takes a moment to think*
W-Well... a big p-part of who I am is t-thanks to ma... to m-mothers philosophy. That p-people can reason with each other, n-no matter what. In the end, it a-always happens. W-wars and conflicts always t-tend to end with the t-two sides working out their d-differences, though they d-do it too slow and p-people suffer.
*Pri places a hand on the edge of her shield as her eyes dart nervously around the area.*
B-But, from what I've seen of these....erm... you called them w-witches? T-the one I saw and helped... d-defeat. It seemed c-completely mindless as it ki....
*Pri swallows hard and shakes her head*
As it h-hurt others. Like an animal or s-something like that working on only i-instinct. It's n-nothing that can be reasoned with. S-So... I suppose that these w-witches maybe beasts? T-This planet doesn't seem to be their n-natural habitat, so maybe alien b-beasts? D-dropped here by accident or by some c-cosmic plot to destroy this place or...something. I d-dunno. Sorry if It sounds weird, b-but that's all I can really c-come up with.
Kohaku tries to gauge the intensity of the sensed magic, hoping to gleam some sort of information on them.
Hey guys... I feel three... Uhh... unknown but very similar sources of magic surrounding us...
One's right outside the window...
The magic in the air around Kohaku grows more sense as she prepares for danger.
Damon motions to follow Ruriko.
Wait up mi'lady! You may still have need of a royal knight for all your travels in these realms.
He says this was exuberant sway, but there is no hiding the momentary tug of his lip. His eyes also betray some worry for the girl before closing in a content line.
I'll dutifully follow and you won't even know I'm there. Pwomise!
Kohaku and co.
Kamilla looks around the room, though of course she doesn’t notice anything. The young girl seems a bit confused as she asks
Kamilla: “umm magic’s good right?”
as for her sensing attempt Kohaku would be able to tell the sources are not particularly strong, likely either weaker witches or a particularly strong familiar. It’s signature would be rather similar to the shapeshifting witch she fought a while back
Seeing Kyubey almost seem to smile put a grin on Sonomi's own face as she followed Kyubey towards the front door of the studio.
"They won't be able to see any of this, right?"
She asks the creature before closing her eyes and trying to pinpoint the location of the barrier, and do what he says to force open a labyrinth. Though it might take a bit of time considering she still doesn't know what she's actually doing. Coincidentally this also makes it so that she's accidentally tuning into the thoughts of everything in a short radius around her.
Kohaku smiles reassuringly to Kamilla.
Nope.
Either they're strong familiars or weak witches.
It kinda reminds me of that witch we... well... "We" I didn't really do much...
That "You" fought.. when we first met Akemi-senpai.
The one that pretended to be a bunch of different things.
Homura sighs slightly while handing Madoka her weapon again, a black rune marked sword appearing in the girl's hands as well.
H:"Joy, we should be able to eliminate it quickly then. I don't especially want to waste time dealing with this, so let's work fast."
M: "Yeah, we've got other stuff to do. Don't get careless or anything though, we can't afford to rush so much it becomes dangerous..."
That said they'd slowly begin walking out, advancing into the hallway as that green burst of magic rushes from Homura once again. Her blade held ready while Madoka stands a ways back from the other girl.
Sonomi
Kyubey walks along beside her, casually noting as an answer to her question.
Kyubey: "You're not invisible, if that's what you mean. However no recordings will show anything solid about you. Its a passive thing I don't really bother explaining. As long as you want it to be a secret normal people will likely never know."
Focusing for the entrance gets Sonomi to a... Point in space, at least it started out as such, soon she's able to force it open and cause reality to unfold. The street around her fades away, making way for a bright, and colorful backstage. The area she finds herself in is colored in simple, bright, primary hues like one might expect from a children's show, several lights shining down into the area.
She finds a wall to her back and the stage area packed with various... Creatures, running back and forth, literal stagehands setting up some kind of show. That is to say, the familiars are cartoonish, floating hands deprived of eyes or other limbs that carry various boxes, cameras, and lights to and fro with no real meaning that can be derived, and a dark curtain far ahead.
Capri
Sayaka chuckles a bit before breathing out a sigh. The other girl hangs her head in resignation as she dully responds
Sayaka: "Yeah, that's what I thought too at first. I mean it makes sense anyways, they don't look like they're from our world right?"
Sayaka gestures to the pixilated wall, her tone lightening up a bit as she spins around before breathing out a sigh
Sayaka: "Anyways, as a Magical Girl its my job to defeat monsters like that to keep them from hurting people, just like you said. If these things can't be reasoned with, then there's no choice but to get rid of them, right?"
Damon
Ruriko glares back at Damon, breathing out with a huff. The girl puts both hands in her pocket and shrugs, but she doesn't chase him away immediately. Instead she starts questioning Damon as they walk
Ruriko: "So then mister knight, what is it that brings you after this beautiful princess anyways?"
Ruriko looks over her shoulder at Damon, eyes narrowed in suspicion as they proceed along the city streets. She doesn't seem to be paying attention to anything in particular as she blows another bubble with her gum, simply walking around like Damon had been for much of the day.
Homura and Madoka
The pair head out into the hallway, not exactly excited, but not surprised at the ambush either. Soon the walls shift around them as the Witches' labyrinths form into being. It begins as an old, abandoned house, its wooden planks are rotting. However, almost as soon as it forms the landscape shifts to that of an ancient, ruined cityscape, toppled buildings stretching as far as the eye can see. However, the buildings are... For lack of another word, wrong.
Some of the crumbling buildings have others clipping through them, as if the former businesses had merged, others appear as if there were two of the same stacked in the same space as the other, giving it a strange distortion as the two ideals for the buildings clash. Behind you is another abandoned building, much like the others, with a crumbling wall leaving a hole for entry
It seems as if they aren't alone in this place, as the clicking of heels resounds through the street ahead...
Kohaku
You and Kamilla stay behind for a moment as the others head out to face the apparent threat. As with the others, Kohaku and Kamilla are soon brought into the barrier, Sayaka's room simply vanishes around them, replaced by a destroyed cityscape.
Kohaku and Kamilla are in on the ground floor of one of these buildings, a crumbling wall replacing the doorway. Looking around you can see what's left of a reception desk, though it seems... Off, as if two of the same object were stacked in the same point in space and just left there.
There's a crumbled elevator shaft, covered in debris that makes for a makeshift ramp to the next floor, as well as a couple of windows they can see Madoka and Homura from.
Kamilla tightens her grip on Kohaku's cape, as if suddenly reminded of something terrible. The girl remains deathly silent as the sound of heels gets closer....
Homura and Kohaku
Walking down the street is a high-school age girl with short-cut white hair, so as to keep it out of the way as she works. Now she's dressed in a painter's smock, the long dress covered with all manner of grays and dark hues. She seems almost bored walking through the empty streets, a single paintbrush adorned with an opalescent gem swaying carelessly in her hand. The girl brings the brush to her lips for a moment, in thought before she actually calls out
Suzuki: "Figures you two would show up. Not the rat I was looking for, but I guess you'll do."
She doesn't seem to have noticed Kohaku and Kamilla hiding in the shadows, instead she's focused solely on the two who ran out into the middle of the street, a slight smirk playing its way across her face.
Suzuki: "Either of you care to enlighten me on where the child is?"
"T-that's, nice. Thanks for noting it, I guess."
Normal people won't see. That's fine...probably. What good would it do, most people considered "normal" shouldn't even need to know of this recent occupation. But Homura, and Madoka...they'll both see. They're the ones that said not to do this in the first place...but here we are. A magical girl for 5 minutes and a newfound witch that needs to be exterminated for the good of others.
"It's always like this, isn't it?"
Sonomi looks around in a bit of a daze at this new scenery that she's stumbled upon, merely staring at the familiars with a confused glance. Even though it brings back memories, she'd rather not let them resurface. Breaking out into song and dance isn't really the best thing to do right now.
With a deep breath, she inadvertedly takes out her megaphone gun out from god knows where, and reaches for the curtain. In fact, since she was so focused on trying to progress somewhere she doesn't even notice the gun in her hand yet.
The child huh... Homura glares, Madoka simply looks at the girl in front of them curiously. The black-haired one speaks up first, voice echoing across the street coldly as she sizes up Suzuki.
H: "I'm sorry to say I have no idea who you mean by that. But now you've gotten me curious as to why exactly you're asking."
While Madoka steps forward a bit and begins to speak somewhat, the shadows around them almost flicker slightly. It isn't anything very notable really, a trick of the light most likely. In truth it's Homura preparing to act of course, her magic seeping through the world and hiding within mundane shadow while gathering strength.
M: "What she said... I can't imagine why you'd call somebody a rat, either. But I'm sure that we can work this out without resorting to hurting each other, right?"
The pink-haired girl smiles slightly, even if this is mostly a distraction. She hopes they actually can avoid fighting, but Homura's taught her better than to simply assume things will go so well. And if they want to hurt that kid... She won't let that happen.
I-I guess...
* Pri looked down, her eyes sad.*
But I s-still don't like the idea of h-hurting anything. B-But nothing can beat my d-defence. So, I'll t-t-try and make sure y-you don't get hurt either. Though...
* Pri looks back up at Sayaka*
Y-You said... at first.
Sheer boredom to be really honest.
Damon smirks at Ruriko after this is said and his hands worm their way into his pockets.
If I weren't on some quest to keep you from being merked then I would be bored at home.
He tags behind Ruriko at a pace slow enough to give her some space but not too slow in case she tries to ditch him.
"She's looking for Kamilla it looks like...
I should keep her hidden..."
Kohaku pats Kamilla to calm her down, and checks to see how structurally stable the building is.
She keeps her movements low, so as to not be seen through the window by the newcomer.
Sonomi
Kyubey remains near the entrance, answering one last question for Sonomi.
Kyubey: "Each labyrinth is different, but rest assured the Witch will always be at the center. After all they're the one who made it. I'm afraid this is as far as I can help you. I'm no fighter after all"
With that, he'd turn back around and vanish from the labyrinth, perhaps even from the world in general. It wouldn't matter, as it doesn't change what you have to do. So, Sonomi passes through the curtains.
On the other side of the curtain, she finds a massive concert hall, greater than any she'd ever seen, with banners advertising... Something. The banners are all written in unintelligble runic script, and with no apparent thoughts to draw off of she'd be left in the dark as to their meaning.
The concert hall has dozens, perhaps even hundreds of rows of seats, in each seat is another creature. Much like the stagehands in the back, these familiars have no real body, simply a pair of hands attached to the chairs. Perhaps they're even a part of it, none of it matters. All of these creatures are clapping enthusiastically, as if they were watching the greatest show in history, despite the fact no performance was going on.
The aisles are patrolled by roughly a dozen creatures, these ones different from the others. They're much larger than the other familiars, each towering up on long, ten-foot tall legs. Their main body is like that of a crane, with feathered ears where their wings ought to be and a beak formed of ribbons. One of them reaches down to one of the more tired-seeming hand-shaped familiars near the front... And eats it, chair and all.
Sonomi is the only one on-stage, with no witch or familiar in sight. In spite of this the hundreds of pairs of hands continue clapping, as if it they had just seen the best show on Earth.
Finally, the girl can feel a sort of... Pulsing, coming from a closed VIP box near the back of the stage.
Capri
Sayaka takes a deep breath before putting back on a cheery, energetic air. The girl laughs a bit as she brings out her sword
Sayaka: "That's nice of you, but there's no need to worry about me. I'm not really human anymore. In fact, I'm basically invincible."
To prove her point, Sayaka raises her right hand to show it to Capri, before bringing the blade across her palm. Though her sword cuts almost an inch deep, by the time she's finished drawing it through her injury has already healed.
Sayaka: "So you just focus on yourself. I'll be perfectly fine...."
The girl's voice gets a fair bit more quiet as she whispers to herself
Sayaka: "Even if I do die that's just one less witch to worry about."
She wouldn't give you much of a chance to mull over her words before the corridor opens up into a maze. Just at this first intersection are three paths, one straight ahead, another curving to the right, and a third going straight to the left, all pixelated and empty blue walls like the rest.
Sayaka: "Great, one of the more maze-like ones. What a pain."
as if on cue, a blue, pixelated fairy, an orb much like Navi flutters above the group for a moment, before heading a little ways down the right path and fluttering in the air. Sayaka doesn't seem to notice it, instead waiting at the intersection.
Damon
"Tch."
Ruriko clicks her tongue in annoyance, but after looking back at Damon for a moment, decides against running. If they're bored maybe she can at least use them to make it easier. Y'know, assuming Damon's capable of anything anyways. No real loss either way.
For now, she simply keeps going, taking her right hand out of her pocket to look at a simple, silver ring. It begins to glow a little, which causes the girl to grin
"Well, you won't be bored for long. Just caught one."
Without saying anything more, Ruriko runs off towards an old arcade. She heads off to its left side through an alleyway.
Kohaku
The headpats don't seem to help much, though the girl's grip slackens a little, she still holds onto Kohaku's cape and glances around the place as if searching for something.
The pair stay low as Kohaku goes to check the base of the building. Despite its crumbling nature it doesn't seem ready to give way any time soon. At the very least it would take quite some effort from Kohaku to break anything. Remaining on the first floor means you can still hear most of the following conversation.
Homura and co.
Suzuki: "Such a vulgar greeting."
Suzuki lets out an irritated sigh and begins motioning with her hands for the different options as she begins rambling
Suzuki: "No 'what a relief to see you'. or perhaps a more hostile 'why are you here?' Lets try that again. 'What are you doing here Suzuki? And at least try to act surprised"
Suzuki shakes her head, apparently changing her mind already as she backpedals in speech.
Suzuki: "Nevermind, its too late for that now. Honestly I have no interest in the kid."
Suzuki shrugs her shoulders and almost closes her eyes, leaving them just open enough to glare at the pair in front of her
Suzuki: "However that annoying friend of yours is a rogue element. One I can't afford to let ruin my play. Still, if you don't want to help.. MihMeh!"
As Suzuki calls for her pet, a small, mouse-like creature would emerge from the back side of her dress. Its little nose sniffs the air curiously before it leaps off its master's shoulder, aiming to delve into the shadows itself
Suzuki: "I'm willing to entertain you two for a moment."
That all to familiar overconfidence...
*The mouse like fear and timidness faded from Pri's face, turning it neutral and unreadable. Her eyes brighten and seem to glow red under the shadows of her hood.*
Just because you can heal doesn't mean you can't be killed. Everyone needs someone watching their back. A bodyguard. A friend. A family member. Doesn't matter. Going in solo is a surefire way to get yourself kidnapped. Or worse. If you get yourself killed, people will be sad. So don't be so stupid.
* Pri closes her eyes and breaths. She grabs her shield's edge tightly. When she opens her eyes again, she looks scared again and her eyes are dull.*
Oh... I'm so S-Sorry. I didn't mean t-to project. I've j-just... It's n-n-nothing. Please just forget this ever h-happened. ...t's embar...
*Pri starts mumbling nervously. She glances around, chewing her lip. It's at this point she sees the odd fairy like mess of pixels fly away. She raises the arm her shield is clipped to, pointing in that direction.*
U-Umm. M-Miss Sayaka. Something just... w-went that way. I-It be the w-way to go.
(edited by Capricorn)
Though thankful for the final answer that Kyubey gives, an unholy amount of dread comes back to haunt the girl as she stands alone on stage. Even when she sees and hears all the appaluse that comes from this...audience, Sonomi only felt the need to clasp her hands and silently pray for her own well being. As well as to make sure this witch won't have to suffer anymore.
"Now I wish Asena was here with me..."
She uttered to herself. As she looked off in the distance she saw what happened to one of the hands, getting eaten by the crane, chair and all. Utterly disgusting, yet...it reminds her of something. Faintly. Probably. Though she might just be overthinking the whole thing. All it did was make her try not to have it happen to her and go on with the task at hand.
Hopefully this pulsating that she feels behind her is something that won't be able to be more complicated than it actually seems. Sadly her little benefactor wasn't able to stick around, so she can't ask any more questions, now she just goes to the VIP Box herself and takes a look at it. Sonomi might even be able to find a way to open it in order to check what's inside.
Madoka smashes a card by firing an arrow through it, said arrow sailing towards Suzuki's right kneecap as well though likely not fast enough to hit her. Mostly, the burned-armored brunette holding a silver blade and shield appears behind her. The persona's master simply quietly glares for the moment, eyes darting over to her partner for merely a moment while a sickly green light engulfs their... Enemy, and her 'pet'. Slowing them both down a good deal.
M: "Masakunda!"
As for Homura's part, she'd twirl her blade around for a second while speaking in an annoyed voice.
H: "What is with crazy people and wanting to go after her, huh? You're the second person I've met now who's done that, and I just don't get it."
The shadows suddenly burst out into thin strands of something very much akin to razor wire, large amounts of magic taking shape with shocking speed and covering an area for about 10 meters all around Suzuki and her pet, if either happened to touch them not only are the things hellishly sharp but they'd quickly lash out and try to dig in deeper. Madoka speaks up in a strained voice after Homura.
H: "Geez, I was willing to help till you started talking about going after her. But you just had to go and be wacko, huh?"
M: "I... Don't really want to fight all things considered, but I'm not letting you hurt her either. So if that's really what you think has to be done, then I'll stop you
Hey wait up!
Damon is a little taken aback by Ruriko's sudden run, but he manages to tag behind her. As he follows he quickly brings his backpack forward against his chest. He reaches inside of it with his left arm and pulls out the only weapon he has. A ball of yarn. Ah yes he must be the most prepared person to ever fight a witch or two.
Looks like a fight....
Kohaku keeps Kamilla hidden as she watches the ensuing battle.
We should stay hidden for now...
Do you know her?
Sonomi
Sonomi attempts to simply pass by the audience and head towards the VIP booth off to the side of the stage. However, soon one of the patrolling cranes, passing near the front, swiftly turns to face her, letting out a strangled cry as it heads towards her. The sizeable creature opens its beak, revealing a swirl of chaotic colors from within, before trying to bite her like the other familiar before.
All the while the rest of the audience continues clapping as if nothing was happening.
Capri
Sayaka lets out a derisive laugh. Though the girl smiles it seems forced, like a thinly veiled attempt to hide her annoyance as she meets Capri’s eyes with her own, filled with a grim determination
Sayaka: “Don’t think you know me, alright? This little witch-hunting job of mine is all I have left.”
Sayaka clenches her fist, letting her expression fall as she takes a deep breath
Sayaka: “I’ll be sure to destroy every last one of them. And if I die along the way the world will be better for it.”
With that Sayaka turns towards the right path, her cape fluttering dramatically as it goes before asking
Sayaka: “This way, right?”
regardless of Pri’s answer Sayaka would start moving after the Fairy-like creature down the twisting halls.
Damon
Ruriko: “oh come on mister knight, you can’t expect to protect anyone if you’re too slow.”
Damon would have plenty of opportunity to catch back up with the girl as she strikes her fists together, triggering the replacement of her casual outfit with a long, amethyst colored suit and a pair of gauntlets with light, purple gems decorating the back of her hands. Just a moment later, the girl simply punches the wall, breaking it and leaving a hole easily wide enough for them to get through
Ruriko: “there, should be easy enough from here.”
before climbing through the new hole and into the old arcade
Kohaku
Kamilla silently shakes her head as a “no” careful not to make any noise or shift anything unnecessarily.
However, a crumbling sound can be heard from the direction of the ramp-like rubble behind them. A rather large lizard, at least the size of a man comes climbing through, its large beast eyes searching for something. Though the creature resembles a demon Kohaku would be able to tell it is, in fact, one of the three Witches around.
Homura and Madoka
Suzuki: “How crude.”
Suzuki remarks with a hint of disdain as she simply swipes her brush downward to deflect the arrow. The girl would simply begin walking toward the pair as she breathes out an irritated sigh
Suzuki: “I never really planned to let you two go but it’s good to have an excuse.”
She’d only have to catch a glimpse of Homura’s shadows before giving out a command
Suzuki: “Don’t even try.”
At Suzuki’s order Homura’d feel her control slip. It would only be for a moment, but it’s more than long enough for her little net to curve outward, harmlessly striking rubble before Suzuki simply carve through it with her brush and continue to calmly walk towards the pair
Suzuki: “Now where was I.. Ah, yes.”
The girl pauses for a moment and begins grinning as she lets out a puff of air and looks straight and Madoka
Suzuki: “Funny thing here I once asked Kyubey who the strongest person he’d ever met was and he pointed me to you. Not only do I find you to be nothing special, you’re not even a Magical Girl anymore. It’s an insult really.”
Suzuki closes her eyes and gestures to herself, seemingly lost in thought
Suzuki: “You reject one of the greatest gifts the world has to offer and add hypocrisy to that.”
Finally, Suzuki glares at the pair, a faint smile across her lips
Suzuki: “you blame me for attempting to remove an obstacle, yet is that not what you’re doing yourselves?”
as for the witch, with any instructions dealt with by its master it would simply vanish once more info it’s labyrinth to search for its prey
That... can't be true t-though...
*Pri mutters as she follows Sayaka. Her eyes are trained on the ground as she walks, following Sayaka's heels just to make sure the girl is still in front of her.*
Y-You must have a friend s-somewhere. And even if you d-don't, thats no reason to t-try and get your self k-k-k... sent to the Underworld. Even if y-you think life now is hopeless, you can't just g-give up. There's always s-someone out there w-who is willingly to... stand by your s-side as a friend or an equal or w-whatever you need. Y-You just need to ask and they'll come r-running.
* Pri brings her together into a praying motion and touches them against her chest. A small smile appears on her face.*
I gave up once too. But m-mama and papa and Aunt Gemini and the others... They h-helped me. S-So I know, if you just try... You can find the hope you lost.
"W-w-wait, wh-wha-"
The swirling colors coming from the crane's mouth puts her on edge, and immediately her body has started to run away. Once she sees the crane coming towards her, she stumbles on her feet, accidentally dropping the gun she didn't know that she even had in the first place. On top of that, Sonomi ends up tripping on her own feet, as she extends her hand out to break her fall.
Thankfully, her better instincts kick in, as she uses the "momentum" that she has gained in order to perform some kind of getaway flip, cartwheeling and coincidentally attempting to kick away the crane with one of her feet. Then, she grabs onto her gun when she rolls over, scrambling to get back onto her feet once more.
"I can't be here right now!"
Sonomi looks at her gun, and then at the crane. And then at the crowd. She shuts her eyes and turns her head away from the ongoing applause that she can still clearly hear. The gun starts up, the first thing it does for her is to shoot a 'knockback' bullet towards the ground, the recoil sending her upwards and advancing her towards where the VIP area is supposed to be, as well as forcing the crane away from her even more.
Homura stares the other girl down, guess that she didn't notice the other useage of this net. Within a second and a half from the failed attack, two large bursts of light and sound would go off near Suzuki as the raven-haired girl smirks.
Flash grenades, quickly placed within the solid shadows of her magic and moved along them to reach her foe in short order.
H: "Just shut it, you lunatic. I've had it up to here with people ranting like this, so do me a favor and die for threatening Madoka already."
While Madoka would generally reprimand the other girl for acting like... This. Here she just doesn't care anymore, and even as Homura speaks her Persona surges forth.
Dancing shadows blasting forth from the nets and taking the shape of large wicked blades that are aiming to slice off Suzuki's hands and arms with glee.
M: "You know what I said about not wanting to fight? Yeah I wanna fight now, I won't let you hurt Kohaku or Homura... And if you really think what Kyubey gave you is a gift, you're more deluded than I'd expect."
Along her partner's shadows, D'Arc would let loose with a wide burst of lightning bolts would crash down from the heavens as well. Flying exactly as fast as well, lightning would be expected to.
In addition, the pink-haired girl lashes out with a barrage of arrows as well, formed from raw light magic made solid and several of them shooting fast.
All aiming to blast into the other girl's eyes mere moments after the flashbangs and other attacks go off.
(edited by Madoka-Kaname)
Of course it wouldn't be that easy..
It never is...
Picking up Kamilla, Kohaku leaps up the ramp, using the flashbang through the window as cover.
Hang on, we're going to the roof.
Can't fight in here.
On the way.. what's your power?
I wanted to make sure that you were feeling all special before we entered.
Damon responds with a wink to Ruriko. He catches up to her with all the tools he needs in his hand and then leaps through the portal without a second thought. Once inside he surveys the area for any sudden threats.
Sonomi
The crane wouldn't prove to be very powerful. Her kick is enough to knock it back and bury its beak in the floor of the labyrinth. The creature awkwardly attempts to pull out its weapon only to be blasted once more, shattering into pieces that dissolve back into the walls and floor of the place.
In addition, the blast sends Sonomi through the VIP box's curtain. Inside the box she finds an entirely dark room, much larger than it should have been. Sonomi can feel a pulse growing more and more intense emanating from a small, black gem perched atop a small, metallic spire. The gem is small, and low enough to the ground that one could easily kick it. A faint black trail of mist emanates from its form as it readies itself to hatch.
Capri
Sayaka pauses for a moment, unsure how to respond..... Ultimately she simply doesn't, and continues onwards in silence.
The fairy-like creature from earlier would continue along their passageway, eager to show them the way forward.
However, the maze itself seems to have another plan. Soon, the floor opens up beneath the pair. The walls of the pit are, much like the walls of the maze, blue and pixelated, seeming to descend forever into the abyss below.
Damon
Damon follows Ruriko into the labyrinth. As he passes through the hole the younger girl created he'd find the wall closing back behind him. Only now, all the walls around him are a flat, blue, pixelated mess. The pair are standing in the middle of a hallway, as Ruriko looks down at her gauntlet
Ruriko: "Huh, never seen that before. Felt the thing all the way up to entry. Now its gone?"
Ruriko strikes the wall where the pair had initially entered from... However this time nothing seems to happen. The girl clicks her tongue in annoyance.
Ruriko: "Alright then mister knight. This is a great chance to make yourself useful. You got any tracking stuff?"
Kohaku
The lizard looks outside at the sudden light source, backing away from the flashbang. This gives Kohaku a chance to go up a floor, though the creature doesn't seem like its going to remain lurking down there for much longer.
The second floor is devastated much like the first. While the first was a reception area, this one seems like an office space with five cubicles still left standing, each with a desk and various papers inside of them. There's a collapsed staircase opposite the elevator shaft. Though the stairs are gone there's still a space in the roof if one wanted to go up further.
As for Kamilla, the girl simply looks at Kohaku, somewhat confused as she stutters out an answer.
Kamilla: "My um... A talent?... Well... I draw good..."
Homura and Madoka
Suzuki is caught off-guard by the flashbangs, leaving her disoriented for a few seconds as she adjusts herself. However, the girl doesn't panic. Even without sight or sound, she retains sense of mind enough to give one more order.
Suzuki: "Protect your master"
And as before, Homura's shadow magic would go haywire as she feels Homulilly struggling against her. Instead of forming blades to tear through her, the shadows form a shield that act as a canopy for Suzuki. The shadows would take Madoka's lightning attack and dissipate. This leaves Suzuki free to move again. though her eyes remain closed, she simply dances off to the side of Madoka's arrows, leaving a trail of rainbow-colored light behind her as she goes.
Suzuki: "Lunatic? You'd call me a lunatic for protecting my student? From the maniac who would try to kill her, and from you brutes who would corrupt her."
Suzuki lands on a pile of rubble to the pair's right, a fire sparked in her eyes as she continues talking. Surely, its the passion of a fanatic that fills her words, a sheer contrast to her typical, almost bored demeanor
Suzuki: "A proper Magical girl is a symbol of hope, a precious light to strike darkness from this sinful world"
Suzuki moves once more, going to the open space opposite where she began. As before, a rainbow colored light streams from where her paintbrush passes. However, this time Suzuki swings her brush as she passes, sending five splatters of light towards her opponents, arced downward to strike the ground around them if dodged
* As Pri follows close behind, she notes Sayaka's sudden silence. "Oh no. Maybe I shouldn't have been so forward. What if she hates me now and tries to attack me again? Or of she can't trust me to help and I can't save her? Oh, this is-" Pri's worrying is interrupted by the floor opening up under her. Her eyes widen in panic. Instinct takes over. She out stretches an arm and calls out to her shield*
Marigold: Plateau
* Her shield springs to life. If she's successful, seven hexagonal barriers are created, grow in size and place themselves beneath the duo, replacing the missing floor and saving the two from a fatal fall into the abyss below. Pri looses her footing while doing this and falls to the floor, her hood falling off and revealing her goat like horns as she does.*
Oof. That hurt...
* Pri gets up, rubbing her head before gasping and shooting to attention, looking frantically over to Sayaka, hoping she was able to save her in time.*
A-Are you alright, Miss S-Sayaka?
Homura sighs slightly, brutes who'd corrupt huh... That's a perfectly fine thing to say. Mostly because she just doesn't care any longer, Suzuki might notice her orders to the Persona getting less effective than they were before as blue flames begin burning around the black-haired girl.
Madoka puts her effort into defending the pair, a gleaming wall of light slamming into the path of Suzuki's magic and standing steady against it, at least for now. It's showing heavy cracks by the time that volley ends though.
As for Homura, a card starts forming in her right hand. Homulilly vanishes, and in contrast to the usual black card this one Homura's holding appears to be blue. Her voice is a bit cold, but also holds a blazing fire within it.
H: "You want to ramble about symbols of hope, that's fine by me. But I'm driven by a simple desire to see my loved ones be safe, if I can help others cool, but that's not really my style. Now come, LILITH!"
The girl calls forth her Persona once again, not Homulilly. But a woman with gleaming red eyes lazily floating in the air, dressed in a strange gown emblazoned with a gleaming purple pentagram upon its back. And the clothes themselves made of inky black shadows which twist across her form.
Suzuki would find herself beset upon both Personas while Homura glares across the battlefield at her. If the magical girl's trick worked as her foe suspects it to, she'd find any commands issued towards Lilith doing nothing at all. That's assuming she controls Witches, which seems a likely bet.
H: "Like I said, I just want to defend those I care for. Madoka's that of course, but you know something? Kohaku's kinda become that too, not as much but, I care. Won't lose here, can't afford to. For good or ill, I'll embrace this selfish desire to defend the people I truly want to above all else."
The Persona doesn't even acknowledge its master, it has no need to. Instead a renewed burst of shadowy netting with blades rushes across the area towards their foe. Far larger than before, moving faster too.
And there's a slight gleam from Homura's bottle as the dark magic cuts through the air. It's subtle and faint, far less easy to notice than the newly awakened Persona's offensive, but there if she has that attention to spare.
What it was however, can't be made out. Madoka simply nods to the other girl sportively for now, not even taking her eyes off Suzuki while watching to see how their enemy reacts to Homura's next attack.
Sonomi breathes out a sigh of relief. While she was glad that the creature was fairly weak, she kind of expected more. Then again, she's here to kill the witch before it can truly form, so it's not stupefying for the monsters to not be fully...powered?
"Still...how does this all even work?...ugh..."
She simply takes a precautious and anxious gaze at the gem as it stands there, menacingly. As she does, Sonomi goes up to the soul gem, feeling more and more null of anymore guilt the more steps she takes. Yet, her unease still stayed the same. Nevertheless, she readied her gun and pointed it towards the gem, uttering her prayers for it before letting loost a blue 'break' bullet. Purple music notes flied from the gun and made the blast even stronger than it probably needed to.
"Hope this will end it, please end it..."
You're a magical girl right?
Which means you have a magic power.
What is it? Do you know?
Kohaku keeps asking as she ascends the building, looking for the roof.
Lucky for you I do happen to have something or other.
Damon allows his ball of yarn to slip from his hand and gently bounce along the hallway.
My clever little friend here can track human emotion like a hound. Once it gets a hold of anything strongly feelsy then it'll lead us right to it.
What you are trying to find is feelsy right?
if there is anything with powerful emotions in the area the yarn ball will unroll towards it leaving behind a white thread for Damon and Ruriko to follow.
Sonomi
The grief seed pulses for a moment as Sonomi prepares to fire. It would finally crack once more....
Before her bullet shatters it, preventing the creature from properly hatching. Instead a rush of impurities would burst out of the shell, anger, sorrow, vengeance, despair, all form a blast that shatters the barrier, blasting Sonomi back with it.
As the labyrinth fades around her, Sonomi would be blasted back to the ground outside her studio, her soul gem noticeably darkened.
Standing on the sidewalk a short ways behind her is a young girl, around her age with long, blonde hair simply staring at her. Fortunately the other girl is also dressed ridiculously, she wears a long, frilly, silver dress and carries a similarly covered staff ending in a heart-shaped gem piece. The other girl simply stares at Sonomi for a few seconds before saying..
???: "Um.. I... it looks like you got it.. Then..."
Capri
It seems that Sayaka had the same idea that Capri did, mere instants after their fall begins Sayaka forms a platform beneath her feet so that she barely drops an inch in the sudden pit. The girl spins around, one sword in her hand, however she lets out a relieved sigh when she finds Capri is able to catch herself. With that settled, Sayaka sheathes her weapon again
Sayaka: "I already told you, I'm practically invincible. There's no reason to worry about me. You...."
Sayaka finally notices Capri's horns. The girl stares at Capri for a few seconds in surprise, but soon offers her hand anyways, to help bring Capri onto her own platform
Sayaka: "Are you some kinda demon? I mean, its not really a problem just... I wasn't expecting that."
The girl scratches the back of her head, attempting a bit of an awkward smile.
Damon
Ruriko raises an eyebrow at Damon, but at this point she knows better than to question it. The girl casually leans back, both hands behind her head before replying with a sigh
Ruriko: "The hell'd I know? I don't exactly ask for their opinion before killin' em. A Witch is a Witch, no need to complicate things."
Sure enough, Damon's thread would unroll, taking a left turn immediately and heading through the labyrinth. Though he might not know exactly what its following, it definitely found something. An intense concentration of emotion. Ruriko would notice the yarn as well, raising an eyebrow before asking
Ruriko: "So... After that then? Better than nothing."
And casually walking after the yarn. No need to waste energy yet, especially since her.... Companion may not be able to keep up.
Kohaku
Kamilla lets out a bit of a strangled cry as she tries to silence herself at Kohaku suddenly jumping up with her. The tense girl swallows before replying.
Kamilla: "U... Um.. You mean.. Like Miki-san right? She um... Always told me not to so...."
Sure enough Kohaku wouldn't be able to find one of those silver rings that indicates their contract anywhere on Kamilla. They seem to be entirely normal.
Kamilla: "S.. Sorry."
Going up to the next floor Kohaku would find it to be a storage room, one last mostly empty floor before the roof.
Mostly empty. Amid piles of boxes and crates she'd find a massive wolf, easily twice the size of a human prowling the area. It wears nothing but an iron collar with two shattered chains which clink as it patrols the warehouse. The creature sniffs as if searching for something, but doesn't seem to have found it yet.
Suddenly a massive barrage of gunfire can be heard coming from outside. The wolf creature pauses, looking in the direction of the sound before it continues patrolling
The sound is enough to make Kamilla flinch, more familiar with the sound than she'd like. When she does, though it might just be your mind playing tricks on you the wolf seems to get larger...
Madoka and Homura
As Homura experiences her awakening, Suzuki simply grins. The girl slowly shakes her head, waiting for Homura's attack to begin before dashing to the side, continuing her circle around her opponents
Suzuki: "So it seems you've figured out one layer. But one of many powers at a Demon Lord's disposal."
No longer able to simply command Homura's persona, and not prepared for its sudden speed boost, Suzuki is momentarily stopped as one of the tendrils pierces her leg, however in an instant she swings her brush down and through the shadow, breaking it apart. She continues much like this until she reaches the next quarter mark, at which point she's surrounded. However the girl simply continues smiling
Suzuki: "Still, I must commend you for managing to hit me. Not that it matters of course. I'll make sure to deal with this Kohaku after you're done."
As Suzuki pauses one might notice that, despite her haughty tone, the ornate gem decorating her brush has started to dull, part from the fight and part from the strain of commanding three witches at once.
And even knowing this, Suzuki does something more. She paints a sphere around herself, forming a barrier of light that moves with her in order to stop Homura's tendrils from assaulting her further as she finishes the circle.
Now she reaches the top of her circle, right at the beginning of the fight. Suzuki simply connects the lines and sighs
Suzuki: "You don't even recognize how outclassed you are."
Once Suzuki has finished her circle, the band of magic glows, before forming a large, broad ring that floats a few inches in the air. At Suzuki's command, a series of hundreds of guns sprouts out of this ring, all pointed at Homura and Madoka within.
Suzuki: "Fire."
And so it is. A barrage of hot lead fills the air as Suzuki attempts to end the fight now. No need to wait any longer and lose this "Kohaku". She simply tries to end the fight immediately before her gem gets any darker
Sonomi falls backwards onto her rear end from the impact of the blast, dropping her gun once again after it fires it's bullet at the grief seed. Though she's worried that her dress might've gotten dirty, overall, she's still happy. Happy that it was a success. Part of her wanted it to hatch for a thrill, but that would mean it would be able to hurt others. Now, it's better this way...
When she dusts herself off and took a sigh of relief, she turned around, almost screaming out in shock but she keeps it in and it only comes out as a bit of a gasp. Sonomi tugged at one of her loops before pouting at the girl.
"Yes, I did get it, thanks! And, um...have we met before?...wait, where's the grief seed?"
As she says all this, her power starts to accidentally take effect once more as she tunes into the thoughts of this new arrival. When she takes further examination of the clothes this girl is wearing, she even gets a bit more nervous.
Damon gives Ruriko a thoughtful look as she retakes the lead.
My yarn is sure to guide us to something feesly buuuuuuuuuuut what would ya say if the feelsy thing did turn out to be some witch?
He places both hands behind his back and walks awkwardly with his abdomen arched forward. His eye peered up at Ruriko from the low angle he placed himself at.
Wouldn't that make the witch something way more than just a thing to defeat?
He feigns a gasp and finishes by saying.
Could it be that maybe witches are more than ya give them credit for~
*Pri happily accepts the hand up, climbing aboard Sayaka's platform. She smiled. Then she froze.*
EEP!
* Pri crouches down, covering her head with her hands.*
N-N-N-No! I-I'm not a m-m-monster. I'm good. I promise. I-It's just... It's just...
* Pri sighs.*
It's a family curse. P-People get scared if they s-see... me. B-But I s-swear I'm not bad. P-People in this w-world don't s-seem to mind as much but.... t's embarrassing.
* Eventually, Pri stands back up again.*
I-I guess t-there's not much point hiding them again. J-Just... don't think any less of me. P-Please? L-let's just... move on.
Homura stares back at the other girl, annoyed by the girl. But smiling darkly upon hearing the word 'Demon Lord'.
H: "So that's it huh... Demon Lord, that's the kind of wish you made. Tell me Suzuki, does playing at being a demon lord make you feel better about an insignificant human life you once lived? Do you find value and meaning within the supernatural? Or are you just a schoolyard Chunibyo?"
Madoka looks on slightly surprised by her friend's shift in attitude, but she's smart enough to realize what Homura's hoping for here. Corruption, attacking someone emotionally to try and make them start turning into a Witch. Maybe if Suzuki weren't a murderous lunatic she'd be aghast, instead, the pink-haired girl simply watches with horror as their foe seems to shrug off Homura's blow and begins counter-attacking.
M: "You have got a plan here, right? There's got to be something we can do, I can't block her forever but..."
Before the circle finishes forming, Homura just nods to Madoka as Lilith appears behind her again. The Persona clapping her hands before darkness engulfs the entire area around them. For a moment not only is all light gone, but Suzuki and anyone else within save Homura herself wouldn't be able to hear anything.
A fact the girl uses to her advantage as the pentagram on the back of Lilith's dress shifts to a clock, hands spinning rapidly as both Homura and Madoka begin moving impossibly fast through the darkness. The black-haired girl would leap over Suzuki's guns just as they fire alongside her friend, the things seeming to move in slow motion for them as Lilith vanishes from the circle. The darkness lifts, revealing a circle empty of any bodies and rather strangely a pair of girls and their personas directly behind the magical girl's barrier.
H: "Lilith, rend this one down to nothing!"
M: "Remove our enemies from this world, D'Arc!"
A terrible twisting spiral of grey would burst forth out of both Personas, vast amounts of raw magic being pumped at Suzuki's shield in a very small and focused area. It would be easy to dodge even if it broke through, but hitting isn't the point. Homura's also still puppeting some of the dark tendrils.
And if they succeeded in creating an opening within the barrier one would lunge forward with amazing speed. Homura quickly pressing down on a button in her hand which causes a brick of C4 attached to the magical 'limb' to explode with terrifying force. Even as the more obvious threat of their massively powerful magic spell 'searches' for Suzuki to try and keep her distracted.
Both girls seem rather out of breath though, at this point, their magic may not make them into monsters from overuse. But tossing around so much so often is taking its toll nevertheless. And Homura especially even seems lightly wounded somehow despite not having been struck thus far.
(edited by Madoka-Kaname)
"She's a normal? Then what's she doing here?
Why's she involved in this mess...
No time to talk about it though.. gotta get to the roof."
Kohaku keeps the seemingly non-hostile wolf in mind, and continues to the roof.
You have no idea what's going on then.. do you?
(edited by Kohaku_Iroha)
Sonomi
The girl seems to try shrinking against the pavement as she begins worrying again. She rapidly looks around before breathing in.
Risako: Um.. I.. don't think so... M.. I'm Risako. Just.. Call me Risako.
Isn't that the person Suzuki mentioned? I'll.. I mean..
The girl looks to the space Sonomi was blasted from, her foggy eyes seem to glimmer for a moment as she continues talking.
Risako: "There's... A lot of curses over there. I think.. I mean, it looks like you broke it, so the curses it gathered just spread out."
At least her soul gem's still ok.. That stuff's really dangerous.
Finally, Risako shifts and puts both hands behind her back, as if trying to hide her staff
Risako: "Um... A.. Anyways.. M.. Miss Sonomi... You're.. Like me now right?"
Stupid... It should be obvious, why even ask?
Capri
Sayaka looks away for a moment, taking a deep breath and steadying her voice before chatting a bit more casually
Sayaka: "Yeah, I can get why you might be worried about that sort of thing. Hiding its a good idea just.. Try not to let it stop you."
It almost looks like she might be thinking of something more... But ultimately nothing comes out. Until
Sayaka: "Hold on ok?"
Sayaka would grab Capri's arm and, when the other girl's ready, or at least as ready as she'll ever be, Sayaka leaps, dragging the both of them over what's left of the pit and to the other side where the fairy-like creature is waiting to guide them on.
Damon
Ruriko gives Damon a bit of a weird look just from his positioning alone. However, she doesn't comment on it given that he's given her other things to worry about.
Ruriko: "The hell's up with you? Who cares what a monster thinks?"
The girl pauses for a moment, just a moment of doubt before she hits her gauntlets together again with a crash
Ruriko: "Killing a Witch gets me a grief seed. Grief Seeds let me use more magic, which lets me kill more Witches. All that other stuff's a waste of energy."
With that, Ruriko would continue following the yarn. Soon enough they'd come across a split in the path, one leading left and one to the right. The yarn follows the left path, and so too does Ruriko. Damon would begin to feel the emotion the yarn was following. Its a sort of frantic, nervous feeling mixed with fear.
Kohaku
Kamilla follows Kohaku, still gripping the edge of the older girl's cape as she watches the wolf. The girl tries to whisper, as low as she can..
Kamilla: "Those.. Um... Its like back home..."
Is all she gets out before the wolf overhears the two moving past. Once it does, the creature turns around towards the sound of the noise and, finding the pair, lets out an echoing howl.
Madoka and Homura
Suzuki closes her eyes and grins at the pair, unfazed by Homura's taunts
Suzuki: "Loathe me all you wish. That is the role of a demon, a foe to be vanquished by any means."
She'd find everything fading around her for a moment.... Fading to sight and sound anyways. Suzuki simply waits expectantly for the pair's ambush. After a moment of striking her barrier, Suzuki lets her magic collapse, spinning around to launch a blast of her own to collide with the pair's, one almost equal in power.
Suzuki: "I hope you weren't expecting me to fall to that. After all, its the most predictable tactic imaginable."
However, eager as she is to boast, Suzuki wasn't prepared for their real attack. Though she tries to jump back, the C4 would still blow Suzuki away a fair bit, leaving her dress dirtied and damaged as the other girl lands on her feet once more.
At that moment, the three would hear the sound of a wolf howling and, although her soul gem's almost completely black, Suzuki starts laughing. The girl covers her face behind her hand as she looks back at the two
Suzuki: "That would be the sound of MihMeh finding your friend. It won't take long for the three of them to tear her apart. But you won't have the chance to worry about that."
Suzuki's soul gem seems to begin leaking, telltale signs of what's about to happen
Suzuki: "Now everything's prepared. Witness the proof of my evil, and despair."
Rather than breaking, Suzuki's gem... Lets something out. The creature begins as a silver rope which ties itself around its master's neck like a noose. The rope coils tightly, as if seeking to strangle her yet the girl expresses no discomfort. If anything she almost seem elated as the rest of the being forms, trailing off the noose like a scarf that flutters in the wind. Though it is rather small, no larger than Suzuki's head, the creature seems to have infinitely many layers wound together like threads.
It makes no cry, and simply does. Silently, hundreds of threads spew off the creature and anchor themselves in the world around them, weaving into the ground, the air, even where nothing seemed to exist.
Soon a dozen of these threads would rip themselves out the fabric of the world behind Madoka and Homura, lashing out at them like a whip. Followed by a dozen more. Each stroke strikes not only their body, but erodes at their magic and souls.
Back home?
Mind elaborating?
That's kinda vague.
Hearing the howl, Kohaku doesn't stop to look back.
Ok... so that's two minor witches... with our luck the third will be a bird...
Akemi-senpai and Sis are fighting a magical girl...
It's four against three...
Great....
She continues to the roof, looking around at her surroundings as quick as she can.
Gotta buy time for them...
H-Hold on? Why would I- AAAAAAAAH!
* Pri screams in terror as she is dragged into the air and across the pit, one hand on her cloak and the other grabbing hold of Sayaka. When Sayaka lands, Pri lets go. She staggers slightly before holding a hand over her mouth and coughs.*
S-Sorry. P-please give me more of a w-warning next time. I... d-don't like flying.
* After a moment, Pri recovers. She looks at the pixelated ball of blue light.*
W-Well. At least it w-waited for us. S-Shall we keep following it?
Homura grins as the barrier goes down and her foe flies back, this creature isn't ideal of course. But things are going somewhat to her plan. The Persona's dress once again bears a rapidly spinning clock as Homura taps Madoka'a shoulder, and the world turns mostly grey for both.
From Suzuki's now clear view it appears as if the two and their Personas are moving at truly impossible speeds, enough to make the quickest magical girls seem only mildly impressive.
From their perspective the world crawls at a snail's pace, the threads easily being danced away from. Though before her temporal acceleration can properly set in, a couple so manage to graze Madoka and leave her looking more winded.
On the other hand, Lilith and D'Arc are busy doing something other than dodging. With their own 'enhanced speed' two things happen, one the objects Homura had attached to her tendrils are pushed towards Suzuki. Two a glowing barrier of light forms all around the girl enclosing her. Three, Homura rapidly taps the button of another detonator, two more bricks of C4 go off in an instant right before their speed returns to it's usual pace. If Suzuki doesn't manage to very quickly defend herself, the contained blast wave alone would shatter her soul gem and turn her body into a fine red mist without any doubt.
On the other hand, Homura now has various cuts covering her body and looks fairly out of breath. Useful though her newfound speed may be, using so much magical power clearly puts a toll on the girl's human body.
H: "I... Really hope that worked. It probably didn't, but gotta have hope right Madoka?"
M: "Yeah, yeah we do. There's no telling how bad it could get if we don't win soon..."
Though she swore she's seen her somewhere, this IS the first time they actually get to be in a conversation. Thus, Sonomi lets go of her first question with a dis. After a little curtsy with her dress, she introduces herself back.
"Yep. Tried and true, Sonomi Maizono. Nice to meet you, Risako-Chan...U-uh-uhm, o-oh, w-wait, hold on a minute. Gosh, I'm sorry."
That sounded stupid. What was that for?...also what's with those extra words? Her mouth isn't moving. She's also nervous, like she is. But once Sonomi herself realizes it, she immediately starts to jitter a bit and stop her little thought reading powers before she digs too deep.
"A-anyways, what's up with that? The witch I mean. And also the curses you mentioned. Will I always have to do that? I feel like I could've done it way better considering it was as hard as a tutorial boss...and where's the grief seed?"
Damon lets out a long drawn out sigh and shrugs.
Ah the simplicity of youth. How I miss when everything was solved by punching the problem till it was dead.
Before he can go on to wax some more poetic to poor Ruriko who is his hostage audience. Damon suddenly look around as fear grips on his heart. He clutches at the straps of his backpack to prevent his fingers from twitching and walks at an even slower pace as his breath becomes labored. He should be used to the feelings of others by now, but intense motions such as fear or hate always took him by surprise. The intensity of those feelings tugged at his usual emotional barrier and he never liked it one bit.
Ruriko let's hurry up and get this over with.
He says this as be rushes forward and grabs onto Ruriko's hand to drag her behind him. After doing so he would continue to move on as the weight in his chest makes each breath laboriously come out.
Sonomi
Risako is confused initially, but after looking at Sonomi for a couple of seconds she kind of just nods
its a mind reading thing? I should be.. Wait, so she can probably hear this now...
Risako: "Um.. Right.. The grief seed... Well.. you broke it. So.. All the evil stuff it gathered just... Its gone now.."
The girl shifts her weight nervously between her feet, until it seems like she remembers something, both in thought and in word
Risako: "O.. Oh, um.. You're new, right? Um.. Sonomi. I think.. I mean, if you'd like I have a teacher... S.. Suzuki-sensei could probably help answer more.... She's got plenty of grief seeds too."
The girl looks over at Sonomi's soul gem once more, it carries a bit of a dark tint, but not nearly enough to affect Sonomi's function
Risako: "Its.. Very important to keep your soul gem clean."
Capri
Sayaka scratches the back of her head for a second, giving off a bit of an awkward smile
Sayaka: "I mean.. It was the fastest way. I'm still on a hunt after all."
Sayaka looks around for a moment, but doesn't find anything. The girl breathes out a sigh before nodding to Capri anyways
Sayaka: "Right, yeah. There's only one real place to go anyways so.."
Sayaka just runs off down the hallway after the blue pixie, further into the labyrinth. If Capri follows...
Damon
Ruriko pauses for a second, getting dragged along by Damon before catching his speed and following him further down the left path and into the maze
Ruriko: "H.. Hey, what's gotten into you all of a sudden? I'm in charge here."
Though she doesn't manage to overtake him. At least not until....
Capri and Damon
Soon enough both groups come to a crossroads, four paths leading to various places within the labyrinth. The Pixie that Sayaka and Capri were following hovers in the middle of the road, visible to both Capri and Damon. It seems to flutter about, as if unsure of what to do.
Catching sight of the blue-haired girl, Ruriko yanks her hand out of Damon's, dropping down into a fighting stance
Ruriko: "Great, you found the psycho for me. You'll wanna stand back for this."
Sayaka: "Stand back Capri, I won't hesitate to hurt you this time if you make me"
As with Ruriko, Sayaka immediately gets ready to fight, swirling her cloak around her as a set of six swords drops from the space below it and landing into the ground beside her.
Finally, Damon's string actually wouldn't attempt to go to either of the combatants, rather it remains below the small, pixie-like creature that darts about in the middle of the paths.
Kohaku
Kamilla simply starts rambling, closing her eyes in an attempt to not think about the demon in the room as she tries to recall what happened the first time
Kamilla: I mean.. I.. Used to live here.. Then.. Everything went boom.. There were all these...
The girl starts to panic again, and soon falls silent. Her rising fear in turn leads to the wolf growing larger, stronger as it chases the pair. Fortunately this means its too large to fit through the door to the roof.
Once Kohaku and Kamilla make it up to the roof, they're able to see the ruined city around them. Looking down into the streets they'd be able to watch Homura and Madoka fighting.... Whatever it is helping Suzuki, it strongly resembles a witch and reeks of danger.
However, Kohaku wouldn't have much time to consider this, as her suspciions are confirmed. Awaiting the pair in the air above the roof is a massive harpy-like creature. Where its face would be is simply a... Shadowy mess to make it unrecognizable. The creature beats its massive wings as the wolf that had followed the pair finally breaks through the door, leaving them with two monsters to deal with.
Homura and Madoka
Homura and Madoka wouldn't be faring much better. The barrier Madoka attempts to put up is dissolved almost instantly by the strings coming off of Suzuki's creature, which unravel and destroy the magical energy forming it. Similarly, though Suzuki herself doesn't seem to react, the noose around her neck has thousands of strands which simply split off and grow, forming a shield for the pair which destroys the explosive force on-contact, leaving them both entirely unscathed.
As before, nearly a dozen strings simply emerge from the space of the barrier itself, aiming to pierce its opponents... However, there's no further follow-up as the creature's strings retract back into Suzuki's body, as if they were never even there.
Save for her soul gem, which is now as pristine as its ever been. Brought back to full consciousness, Suzuki lets out a derisive laugh
Suzuki: "It looks like your meeting with Valencia didn't go so well. I wonder, can you even move anymore?"
Of course...
Hey Kamilla?
She taps Kamilla with one of the hands carrying the girl. And she speaks calmingly, despite the situation.
What's your favorite sweet?
Quickly, as soon as she sees the bird, Kohaku jumps down into a dark alley and begins running, keeping to the darkness and under the cover of roofs.. rooves? whatever, she's trying to find a place to hide from the bird's sight.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Sonomi realizes what she’s done, now she feels so much more stupid when she starts to think about it. So much so that she just wants to go back to normal now instead of staying like this.
“Ugh, was I supposed to let it hatch? I-I’m an IDIOT! I’m so sorry! I’ll do better! I-i...I have a question to ask you.”
Pausing from her little fit, Sonomi starts to make her thought reading powers go into effect for a short bit without telling Risako as she speaks to her, and in turn her voice has a certain steel to it that she can’t figure out herself.
“So...your teacher Suzuki? I can’t wait to meet her! Since she has many grief seeds, she must be very experienced, right? Plus she’s very busy. She must be. Since you’re here in her steed, no offense of course!”
M-Miss Health Inspector?
* Pri tips her head in confusion. She recognises the woman as the Health Inspector from before. She also vaguely recognises her companion somewhere, though it irritates her that she can't recall from where.*
W-Why are you- Eep!
*Pri jumps as Sayaka's swords appear. She tries to calm her nerves before she speaks in an attempt to calm Sayaka down.*
W-Wait! Miss Sayaka! Please try and t-talk! N-Nothing can come from fighting, especially in a d-dangerous place like this.
Damon tries to step in between the two girls to stop them, but his feet fail to conform to his desires. So he does the the next best thing and instead latches onto Ruriko's right arm.
Hey princess no fighting please. We need all of our strength to take on this evil witch of yours.
Without a hint of shame he openly admits.
By that I mean mostly your strength ...
He tries to end what he says on his usual playful tone. However, his voice gives as his yarn continues to collect distracting elements from around. He tries to even out his breath to ease up the tension in his chest.
Despite what Suzuki's mocking words say, Homura and Madoka both seem to be rather capable of moving. They're worse for wear by far of course, but an empty gourd-shaped bottle upon the ground might tell the magical girl why they can move. If she's familiar with such things as mystic healing items anyways.
H: "Quite capable, yes. I'll admit, you're tougher than I expected Suzuki Kuroi. But this has been quite enlightening I'd say."
M: "That's one way to put it Homura... At any rate, don't expect us to simply keel over quite yet 'Demon Lord'."
Of course, relying upon what amounts to magic drugs isn't exactly workable long term. The healing they've experienced will fade, the burst of power flowing their systems isn't sustainable for very long at all. But it's enough to do something, they have to figure out exactly what to do with it, but for the moment Homura and Madoka aren't quite dying. Their eyes dart around the area searching for something, some way to lose this annoying girl for a while. Staying here hardly seems like the best plan right now.
Sonomi
Risako shrinks for a moment before she gathers her breath
Risako: "N.. No, its nothing like that at all, really.. I mean.. You just cared for the people here right? T.. That's a good thing."
I wish I could be like that
Risako: "T.. There are a lot of selfish Magical Girls who'll let these.. Things go just so they can get more seeds.. R.. I mean.. Its good to think about who you're helping...."
Risako seems to perk up a bit when asked about Suzuki. The girl lets out a sigh of relief before gushing
Risako: "S.. Suzuki's been working for years. She's.. I've been learning under her for months and I've never even landed a hit on her. We should go meet her now"
Suzuki'll be so happy I found her..
Risako takes Sonomi by the hand and tries to lead the other girl through the city with an uncharacteristic energy in her voice
Risako: "Its... I mean. I usually have to drag her out of her room so I'm sure she's open, just.. come on."
Capri and Damon
Ruriko: "H.. Hey, let go of me!"
Ruriko shakes off Damon's hand, pushing the older person back a little as she frees up her movement and drops back into her stance
Ruriko: "I'm not gonna stand here and let her try something again. If this is where we're going."
On the other side, Sayaka takes hold of two of the swords by her side as she glances back to Capri[/i]
Sayaka: "Didn't we go over this? There are some things that have to be killed so they don't hurt anyone."
Sayaka would pick up and throw these first two swords at Ruriko, before grabbing ahold of the second pair, and a third.
If no one interfered Ruriko would simply hit them as they approached, knocking the blades into the walls of the labyrinth.
All the while the pixie flutters about near the middle of the crossroads, now fluttering a little towards the northern path.
Kohaku
I just checked and it is in fact roofs that you would be hiding under, leaping through an already broken third story window to find a... Incorrect room. There's a straight enough path for your fleeing purposes, but it has desks and walls at all sorts of odd angles as if they were simply shoved in there at random. Sure enough the Harpy is unable to follow... Or at least unwilling, as you can no longer hear the sound of its wingbeats.
However, the same cannot be said of the wolf, which simply jumps after the pair, seemingly determined to chase down its prey.
Kamilla is brought to pause by the rush and the impact of the landing, but the girl keeps her eyes shut and tries to focus on the question Kohaku asked her.
Kamilla: "U.. Um.. I.. Sayaka used to get me this really cute ice cream thing that's shaped like a bear. I.. Really liked that one."
Madoka and Homura
While there are several paths off to the rest of the city weaving between buildings, its hard to say whether any of them would help escape their opponent, especially if she were to bring out "Valencia" again.
Suzuki closes her eyes momentarily, bringing a finger up to her chin. Suzuki scoffs
Suzuki: "Of course I am. You fools hardly scraped the surface before running away from your responsibilities. Really its a mercy to..."
There's a loud Ding that interrupts Suzuki's monologue. The girl lets out a sigh before pulling out and flipping open her phone to look at the message. The girl scratches her neck as she reads it only to swiftly flip her phone back shut. Suzuki breathes out a sigh and snaps her fingers before turning around.
Suzuki: "MihMeh, finish these two. And be sure not to hurt the child, I still need her."
Suzuki would quite simply.... Leave, as if she'd simply grown bored of the fight. She takes a few steps away before the barrier opens up around Suzuki, her obedient Witches allowing her to leave before closing it shut again. As she leaves, Suzuki can be heard muttering to herself
Suzuki: "Seems I've indulged myself too long."
However, this wouldn't leave the pair with much of a reprieve, as they would soon be beset on by a massive, winged humanoid. It most closely resembles a harpy, though its face is... Glitchy, and ever shifting. As if they still couldn't quite decide how they're supposed to appear. It starts about twice the size of a person, though it almost seems to be shrinking...
Oh yeah?
What's it taste like?
Where'd she buy it?
She continues running, talking to calm the girl down as she avoids the wolf through taking turns and jumping off of walls to make her path as difficult as possible to follow.
While Sonomi was a little bummed she couldn’t get any secret info out of the girl, she was moreso happy that she wasn’t absolutely tawdry to be around. Since she looks up to this Suzuki so highly, surely Suzuki herself must be a great person too!
“Well since you said so, I’m glad that I did the right thing.”
She was taken aback by Risako taking her hand, barely able to keep up without her feet dragging across the pavement. Of course, when she started to put more energy into it instead of getting lost in thought, she wasn’t running slowly anymore.
“Where does Suzuki live? I’m so excited to meet my new teacher!”
T-Things, yes. B-Beasts and monsters. Things that c-c-can't be reasoned with. M-Miss Health Inspector is a p-person with a w-will and... stuff. She can be r-reasoned with. If y-you just try. And, even if y-you can't, you can j-just move on. There's no n-need to fight.
*Pri looks at Sayaka with pleading eyes.*
Yeah what the shy princess says. I'm sure if the two of you sat down for a cup of tea or a good scone then things would just work out.
Damon says this while eyeing the pixie and it's movement. He knows an uphill battle when he sees one so once the blades are tossed he carefully moves closer to the pixie. With one hand out he beckons to the yarn on the floor and it carefully wraps itself around his arm. He allows the rest of the spun out yarn to hang from his arm. Inching closer and closer to the pixie he whispers to it.
If you could stop these two kiddos from fighting that would be pretty useful right now or I don't know magic us a way to the witch.
Homura just sighs as a fully automatic grenade launcher apppears in her hands, gotta use this thing correctly or it'll backfire horribly of course. She's got enough power again to handle a fight with a Wtich, in theory. Madoka should too, so long as they can make this end fast.
M: "Sakunda!"
H: "Maskukaja!"
A dark green light which drains speed from their foe spreads over the glitching out witch, and their own mobility raises back up to a lower end of the supernhuman sort thanks to this magic's power. For now, the pair waits and observes beyond Madoka shooting 4 arrows which explode in a burst of light upon contact, and Homura fires off a single grenade of the frag type from her launcher. They're preparing to evade if needed, or use this amazing advatange of speed to go on the offense against this Witch if possible. Either way, the two girls are entirely in synch without even needing to exchange so much as a word.
Sonomi
Risako: "S.. Suzuki lives in an old apartment building downtown. Her family owns the place but she's the only one living there right now. Its.. She doesn't have any tenents so she makes a living off her art..."
Risako cheerfully responds as she leads Sonomi through the town. It would take some time for the two to reach the place, its a fairly nice looking apartment complex, despite its seemingly abandoned nature. Risako takes a deep breath and pauses in front of the building, as if having second thoughts.
She.. Won't be mad right? Maybe I should call first...
Damon and Capri
Sayaka lets out a sigh, a grim expression crossing her face as she arms herself once more
Sayaka: "We're not human anymore. Magical Girls and Witches..."
Ruriko lets out a sigh, having heard the speech before, she decides to cut it close, interjecting with a grin.
Ruriko: "See, there's no talkin' to some people. Why don't we stop rambling and get started already?"
She doesn't seem interested in talking any further, instead rushing to clear the space between her and Ruriko. As with last time Capri saw them, Sayaka runs in recklessly giving the more experienced girl space to counter. But no matter how hard Ruriko hits, Sayaka can simply get up seconds later.
As for Damon, the closer he gets to the pixie, the more intense the anxiety and fear from earlier becomes. Its definitely the most intense bundle of emotion in the area, its despair reminding him in some ways of the creature in the library.
The pixie can't reply to him, at least not in any intelligible manner, and instead flutters about nervously. It flits closer to Capri, before fluttering a little to the north, willing to leave the other two to their fight.
Kohaku
The wolf scrambles after her with little difficulty, able to effortlessly bounce off its barrier without losing any pace... It slowly begins to catch up...
Kamilla is smart enough to continue keeping her eyes closed so she doesn't have to look at the monsters any more. Her breathing starts to even out as she replies.
Kamilla: "There.. We were going to see one of those really old places that the fancy people used to live in, it had these huuuge walls and everything and we got it at a gift shop. The bear was really sweet and it reminds me of what we did that day."
As Kamilla calms down, the wolf begins to shrink and the illusion around the barrier begins to fade.... By the time it starts to snap at their heels the witch is little larger than a puppy.
Madoka and Homura
The Witch's wingbeats slow down a bit as the mist goes over it, however that doesn't stop it from beating them quickly enough to blow up a storm. This wind is able to knock the grenade off course, as well as two of the arrows, however the arrows that manage to strike the Witch burst and, unlike their first encounter, leave a pair of holes in the creature.
However, still within its home the creature simply begins to heal up, reforming its harpy-like physique.. Or rather, it attempts to, for whatever reason the pair can see the illusory world flickering around them, between the fake city and its true house form.
And with this, the creature's healing is stopped, leaving it with two smaller holes in its chest as the monster attempts to dive at the two, shooting a volley of razor-like feathers as it passes by.
H-Hey!
* Pri watches helplessly as Sayaka rushes past her, ready for a fight.*
You don't have to be a human to be a person...
* Pri shakes her head and goes for her shield " This isn't right. I should stop them before-" Pri is distracted from her thoughts by the blue light flittering around her before flying off. She moves to follow it but nervously looks back to the two and back to the fairy and the famaliar boy near it. "Is it... going to go on ahead without us? But those two are fighting. But the thing in here with us could hurt more people. What would mama do in this situation? Stop the fighting in front of her or push on to the bigger threat?" Pri's eyes keep flicking nervously between the two options. Her fingers drum lightly on the rim of her shield.*
Oh. W-What should I do...
"Oh, that's nice!"
Sonomi merely says to Risako as she looks around the town in glee. Practically daydreaming at this point, and also questioning how she didn't see Asena at this point. Probably holed up in his room or something.
Either way, when they actually get to the apartment complex, she just now realizes how she hadn't actually turned off her power yet...she won't know, right? She doesn't know right now. So it's ok to keep going. Right? She hums to herself in slight anxiousness as she tries to figure out some way to make her thought reading powers extend towards inside where Suzuki is to read her thoughts.
Damon feels as if his stomach is turning inside out as the anxiety from earlier appears again. A slight chill creeps up from his back and his vision becomes increasingly focused. While his breathing comes out on short bursts causing some black to edge in on his sight.
So you are the one who has been messing with me for a while.
He powers through the threat of a panic attack and attempts to make a lunge for the fairy. With hands open in an attempt to catch the Pixie in his hands.
C'mere you little bug!
Well then, when we get out of here you'll have to take us all, ok?
As the wolf approaches, Kohaku begins charging magic up in her feet, and by the time it's nipping at her heels she's gathered enough to leap into the air.
Right before she starts to descend, the magic in her feet expands, making a solid platform just long enough for her to kick off of it and go higher, to a rooftop.
The feathers aren't the hardest thing in the world to evade right now, Homura drawing her sword as Lilith's clock takes shape on the back of her dress one last time. Her absurd speed allows the girl to dance around them, but that'll be all she can get for now out of the new time magic, given the thing's true form is in front of them she'll take that gamble.
Madoka and her armored Persona focus on something else, thick chains made of light taking shape quickly and aiming to bind the now viewable creature in place for Homura to strike at more easily. She does get hit by some feathers though, scraping at her skin and tearing up clothes a bit.
If that worked or not, the black-haired girl holding a blade coated in layers of shadows which burn into anything they touch like a curse would begin swinging with impossible speed while trying to rush across its whole body. Sword extending to be about ten feet long counting the magic coursing through it and hopefully allowing her to cut the entire witch several times given her quickly burning out speed.
Sonomi
Sonomi isn't able to feel anything from inside the building. At least not immediately.
Risako would soon take a deep breath, gathering her courage. despite her earlier excitement the girl seems reluctant to actually enter... Once she finally opens the door...
The pair are greeted by an empty foyer, a hub for the would-be residents of the building. Risako lets out a sigh of relief before looking down one hallway
Risako: "S.. Suzuki lives in room 212. I.. Do you think you can handle it from here? I.. Should probably be going..."
Damon and Capri
The pixie seems to get a bit more excited as Damon approaches, though its confused, childish. it doesn't realize what's happening until Damon actually grabs it, at which point it panics.
Damon would find the creature to be much stronger than its appearance suggests as it almost immediately darts several feet higher into the air, dragging Damon up into the air with it.
Sayaka and Ruriko don't seem to be too interested in listening to Capri at the moment, as they're focused largely on their fight. That is, until Damon is flown a few feet in the air, at which point Ruriko, the only one who could look without taking her eyes off her opponent backs up in surprise
Ruriko: "What the hell? Since when could he do that?"
Sayaka: "I'm not going to fall for a trick that obvious."
Ruriko: "Hey, I've got some honor y'know. At least I'm above ambushing random girls."
Sayaka: "Its nothing against you, I'm just doing my job."
Kohaku
Kamilla holds tightly to Kohaku as the other girl carries her up to the roofs. She giggles at the sensation, reminded of when Sayaka would do something similar for her.
Kamilla: "Oh, that'd be fun.. I'll try to think where it is."
After they land, the pair are greeted with silence. The wolf makes no effort to follow them, in fact Kohaku can feel it fleeing as the Witch's power diminishes. Soon....
Madoka and Homura
The Witch puts little effort into evading the chains, leading it to get tightly bound by Madoka's chains, before it is cut into a dozen pieces by Homura. With no further fear to fuel it, the creature is left completely unable to regenerate, and falls apart, leaving a single grief seed behind as proof that it was there.
Without the Witch that created it, the barrier would soon fall apart...
M, H, and K
Once the barrier collapses Kohaku and Kamilla are now on the roof of Sayaka's apartment building, with no evidence of the monsters anywhere.
They can see Homura and Madoka on the ground, their friends are in rough shape, but still alive.
Just across the street, as if he'd been waiting there this whole time, all participants can see a familiar, white, catlike creature. Kyubey has his eyes closed and seems to be cleaning himself as he waits for the others to gather their senses again.
*Pri's eyes would widen as she watches Damon get flown into the air. " I have to do something." She grabbed her shield as hurled it like a discuss. If all goes to plan, it would stop between Damon and the fairy. Pri raises her arm in the shields direction.*
Marigold: Shell
*A large orb of hexagram shaped force fields pushes outwards from the thrown shield. If Pri's plan works, Damon and the fairy would be pushed away from each other, hopefully freeing Damon before he's carried high enough into the air to do major damage from a fall.*
(edited by Capricorn)
Seeing the two on the ground, Kohaku leaps down and places Kamilla down next to them.
So you beat the evil lady?
That place was weird.
It was like.. feeding on Kami-chan's bad feelings.
There they were. The words that Sonomi doesn’t like. She normally hates saying goodbye most of the time, but she didn’t want to pry her about it. Eavesdropping on people without them knowing is how she’d rather go with things, like it’s happening now.
“Oh, don’t worry Risako-Chan! I’ll take it from here. See you soon!”
Hopefully. Nevertheless, she heads towards the hallway and goes ahead to the room Risako said Suzuki lived in. Room 212. Heading towards the door, she at least tried her best to listen in and get a glimpse of this Suzuki’s thoughts before entering. Thus, after a short minute of trying to reach something, she turns her power off, knocks on the door and waits patiently.
Damon is surprised by his sudden ascent, but keeps enough of his wits about him to let go of the fairy before the shield can hit his hand. With fear racing through his veins the act of letting go easily translates to accepting death and he closes his eyes preparing for the end fall.
Good bye sweet world.
Homura would groan while rubbing her head, clearly tired, injured, and immensely annoyed. And leaning against her partner to stand up. Madoka holds out an arm for the other girl while smiling at Kohaku and shaking her head.
H: "Tch, not quite. Her damn soul gem does... Something weird. It's like it summoned her witch rather than twisting her when it got too corrupted. What a pain. At least I know next time though, gotta shatter her fast."
Madoka would actually look a bit surprised at how casually Homura speaks of straight up killing somebody. Though she finds it hard to blame the girl.
M: "... Pretty much that yeah Kohaku. She just left after a while. It's just one more problem to deal with."
The black haired girl would then turn to the incubator and greet it with little more than a curt nod. Clearly not in the mood for speaking too much more, or maybe it just hurts judging by her wincing during that last statement.
Damon and Capri
Damon lets go of the Pixie, beginning his fall. Their separation is spurred on by Capri's shield, preventing any attempt the creature might have made to get back at Damon.
Sayaka and Ruriko continue their clash for a bit, however as Damon starts to fall Ruriko remarks
Ruriko: "You seriously care more about killing someone than keeping your friend here safe?"
Sayaka: "H.. Hey, that's not."
Sayaka is brought pause, giving Ruriko a chance to break away from their fight. The girl swiftly moves to catch Damon, holding the older guy with a smirk
Ruriko: "You holding up oh 'noble knight'?"
Sayaka brings out another sword but, now that Ruriko is carrying someone she can't really throw it, forcing her to stand down with a sigh
Kohaku, Madoka, and Homura
Kyubey waits a moment for the trio, and Kamilla, to gather themselves before approaching. The creature paces up and down the street as he talks
Kyubey: "Sorry about leaving so suddenly, I couldn't really afford to be seen by her. Anyways, I can see you'd rather.. Get moving so I'll keep this short."
Kamilla looks between the others present, silently playing with her clothing as Kyubey continues
Kyubey: "Kamilla here was rescued by Sayaka a couple of years ago. She's the person Sayaka cares about most right now. As long as you have her you should at least be able to get Sayaka to talk to you."
Kyubey starts to walk off, before looking back at Kohaku
Kyubey: "One last thing, I'd recommend against bringing her along. I'd rather not have another casualty"
Sonomi
Sonomi walks through the empty hallways, heading up the stairs to the second floor. Nothing happens as she approaches the door marked "212". The girl pauses outside the door, and picks up on something
Looks like I made it back in time. Good. I'd rather Risako not have to worry.
Soon Sonomi knocks on the door. It takes a moment, but soon the door is cracked open by an older girl with red eyes. The girl quickly opens the door. She's wearing a casual outfit, some comfortable looking-jeans and a t-shirt. Behind her is an entirely white room with sparse furniture, simply two couches beside a coffee table with a steaming pot on top of it.
The girl lets out a sigh as she looks over Sonomi's outfit.
Suzuki: "You forgot to change back."
* Pri recalls her shield to her. It starts to slowly orbit her as Pri rushes over to Damon and Ruriko.*
H-Hey! Are you... OK?
* She looks worried.*
S-Sorry. I didn't m-mean to make it so you f-fell like that. At l-least Miss Health Inspector was t-there to catch you. B-But still.... sorry...
* Pri looks down at the ground, her foot nervously grinding the dust into the game like floor of the dungeon. She grabs her shield for comfort, reattaching it to her left arm and nervously tapping her finger lightly against it's rim.*
Drat. No useful information. At least out of the blue. This mentor figure at least isn’t completely blatant and obvious, but for now, Sonomi decides to just take her losses to heart. She blushes as she figures out that she forgot to change back, and just chooses to do so casually in front of her. Magically of course.
“Oh, hello there! Risako told me about you. It’s nice to meet you, Suzuki-Chan!”
She does a bit of an apologetic bow, hiding the fact that she had tried to snoop on her for no reason. Maybe. “Just got back” still seems a bit suspicious to her. Back from what? Sonomi doesn’t know right now so with no actual info to go off of, it’s best to just drop it for now.
I'm doing well so far my fair damsel~
Damon winks at Ruriko and continues occupying her arms since he still needs some time to get over his recent traumatic experience. But really he just doesn't feel like standing for now and hey the two stopped fighting so he doesn't mind being dead weight for peace.
What is that fairy thing anyway?
It almost tried to kill hum but damn if he didn't find out what it was first.
.........
Who me?
Or Kami-chan?
I wouldn't recommend her coming with us also, but do we have a place that's safe from that one girl who was hunting her?
Madoka closes her eyes and focuses for a few moments, her Persona appears briefly and blue light engulfs the black-haired girl as she begins standing up on her own once again. Both are a bit surprised by the Incubator's words, though not hostile, for now.
H: "I think he meant you. And I'm not quite sure why you'd mention it Kyubey, the kid seems more liable to get hurt than anyone else to me. Anyways yeah, getting moving sooner than later would be best."
M: I'm not sure about what exactly is going on with that girl Kohaku but uh... I don't think it's Kamilla she's after...?"
Madoka would place a hand on her chin, she really doesn't know what the hell Suzuki actually wants come to think of it. None of them do, it's rather worrying. But for now, there's other issues.
Capri and Damon
Ruriko raises an eyebrow as she looks up to where Damon had fallen from. though her eyes skim over where the creature was...
Ruriko: "The heck're you talking about? You just started flying outta nowhere."
Sayaka drops her weapon for a moment to head back to the crossroads, staying a fair distance away from the three.
Sayaka: "I uh.. So where is this thing.. Then?"
The girl awkwardly scratches the back of her head. It was.. Really awkward, but at this point Sayaka wasn't quite sure what she's supposed to do so she just... Lets it happen.
K, M, and H
Kyubey: "Oh, you mean you don't know?"
Kyubey pauses to lick his paw, letting the anticipation build before answering
Kyubey: "Sayaka has taken to hunting other Magical Girls."
Kamilla: "S.. Sayka wouldn't hurt anyone...."
Kamilla speaks up, still holding onto Kohaku's cape, but Kyubey doesn't seem to regard her complaint, continuing his explanation
Kyubey: "That means its dangerous for another Magical Girl to approach her. And since she refuses listen to me, so I was hoping you two might be able to stop her. She is your friend right? As for a reward..."
Kyubey looks Madoka in the eyes, though his expression is empty as always, the creature almost seems to be grinning
Kyubey: "You wanted to know about Suzuki yes? I can easily let you in on the circumstances of her wish... After you stop your friend of course."
(edited by Incubator)
Sonomi
Suzuki lets out a sigh and, though the girl attempts to maintain a cool demeanor, her hands seem to be shaking as she swings the door open
Suzuki: "Come on in, its safer to talk inside."
Suzuki walks towards her couches with a spring in her step and gestures for Sonomi to sit in the one opposite her. Suzuki picks up the steaming pot and pours herself a cup of tea.
Suzuki: "I'm glad you met my apprentice first. Unfortunately there are some... Unsavory types around too."
.......
I see....
I guess I shouldn't come then.
Kohaku ponders for a moment before turning to Kamilla.
Are you going to go with them?
Or home?
Hmm. S-so the fairy did it. That's so s-strange. It w-was leading Miss Sayaka and me t-to... somewhere... Y-You know. Like a g-guide. L-Labyrinths like this are s-scary without someway to k-know where you're going, s-so we decided to f-follow it.
* Pri looked back to Sayaka.*
Right?
Sayaka rapidly shakes her head and waves her arms in front of her while denying
Sayaka: “Hey, don’t look at me. I was just following you around cuz I couldn’t tell anything.”
Ruriko: “You just decided to follow around some random chick?
Sayaka: “like you could do any better!”
Though she smiled with her eyes closed as she practically waltzes her way inside the room, Sonomi at least barely noticed how Suzuki had shaky hands when letting her in. "Safer?" It's a stupid question to ask directly, so instead, Sonomi decides to glance backwards at Suzuki with the same smile on her face she's had on right now.
"So, Risako, will I be able to work with her more?"
At most, it's a bit of a curveball. Sonomi sat down on the couch opposite to Suzuki and placidly waited for a reply, humming a little tune to herself. It might be considered rude to suspect people right off the bat, so Sonomi wants to make friends first and foremost. It's the right thing to do after all.
"Oh, and what do you mean by 'unsavory types'?"
W-What? B-But...
* Pri went quiet " Then am I imagining it? Perhaps it's something to do with mama. No, if that's the case that boy wouldn't be able to see it. Then what exactly is that pixie thing?"*
I... I s-swear something is there though. M-Maybe it's... some sort of... um... P-Perhaps you and Miss H-Health Inspector can't see it because... Oh... A-Aren't you both magical... people... or something...
* Pri trails off her sentence and blushes lightly, embarrassed.*
I-I'm sorry. I must s-sound so stupid.
Damon contemplates the response he gets.
Sosososo can witches make people hallucinate or is this another side effect of fear?
He presses his hand on his chest to check his heart beat and is surprised to find that it isn't as fast as he expects. The prickling sensation along his skin is still heightened, but nothing too amazing like before. Damon then then hears what the shy one says. He adds after she stops talking.
Hey quiet girl ya may be onto something. I certainly saw a tiny fairy buzzing around and the two princesses here aren't the most astute individuals. In fact I would call them blind to most things outside of their petty conflicts.
Damon leaves Ruriko's gentle arms to stand on his own shaky feet once again.
We must follow the weird fairy bug to find the monster we seek.
That is my running theory dear princess Ruriko~
Homura stares blankly for a second, Sayaka hunting magical girls? That can only mean... God damn that girl, god damn her and her inability to cope. Madoka looks immensely worried by it in contrast to her friend's anger.
M: "I... Yeah that sounds fine Kyubey. We were going to try and help Sayaka anyways."
H: "Grr, fine then. let's go ahead and find her as quickly as we can. Somebody has to stop that dumbass from hurting people."
Homura grinds her teeth a bit while waiting to get moving, clearly not happy. But there's little she can do. Madoka holds onto one of the other girl's hands and tries to offer a reassuring smile.
Damon and Capri
Ruriko and Sayaka both turn to Damon, shouting at him in unison from opposite sides of the path
R+S: "Hey, I'm not!!"
The pair then begin to glare at each other again, however neither one of them wants to prove Damon right so Ruriko just crosses her arms with a huff while Sayaka continues complaining
Sayaka: "Witches can't hide from Magical Girls, I mean finding them is kinda our job."
Ruriko: "Oh like THAT's the most ridiculous thing you've seen."
Ruriko remarks with a smirk before stepping up with a sigh to continue
Ruriko: "Anyways, if tall dark and stabby over here doesn't have any objections we'll just keep following then. Better than standing around doing nothing."
As the group chatters the fairy seems to get more and more anxious, its bright blue color fluctuating as it flitters back and forth before finally deciding to go off down the North path.
M, H, and K
Kyubey seems to smile as he flicks his tail in the air and licks his paw for a moment
Kyubey: "Very well miss Kaname. Consider this contract sealed. At the very least, I don't break my word."
Its hard to tell if there's any bitterness in that last statement as Kyubey heads away, turning back for a moment to add
Kyubey: "I'll leave this to your discretion."
before vanishing around the corner of the apartment. Anyone attempting to follow him would find that Kyubey simply disappeared, slipping out of existence and leaving the group to their own devices.
Kamilla grabs the edge of her shirt, at a loss for what to do herself
Kamilla: "I.. Um... I want to get Sayaka back to normal.. Is.. I mean.. If you need me..."
The girl isn't able to mutter much more than that as she remains almost attached to Kohaku
Sonomi
Suzuki nods, a smile crossing her face as she reminisces, her voice touched by excitement
Suzuki: "Of course. Risako's been my student for a couple of months now so I can't wait to see how you two grow together."
Suzuki takes another sip of tea before setting her cup down with a sigh before crossing her hands. The girl's gaze drops with her smile as the inevitable question comes to light.
Suzuki: "I'm afraid you've chosen a poor time to make a contract. One of the Magical Girls in this city has gone rogue and has started going after their fellows rather than working together against the Witches.
Now, territorial disputes are... Undesirable, but not entirely uncommon. But this is something different. She's not simply chasing others out of the city."
Suzuki would look back up at Sonomi, deathly serious
Suzuki: "This rogue of ours is looking to kill."
It's up to you and them.
Since I probably shouldn't follow just in case, it's best if you stick with Akemi-senpai and Sis.
She pats Kamilla's head, then separates herself and jumps away.
Of course, Kohaku really isn't planning on leaving. So she gets far enough to hide herself and follows the trio in the shadows, staying quiet and watching the three.
Sonomi nods as she is told more about Risako from her new mentor figure. She's friendly, and mostly doesn't suspect a thing about the situation, so she'll be a great teammate. Other than that, Sonomi shuffles about on the couch as her face takes on a bit of a worried expression.
"Oh, is that so? Who's this rogue of ours then?"
How convenient for something else to be running amok in order to make things harder for what she had chosen to do. Right when she had started no less. Well, surely it isn't someone that she's heard of, right? In any case, Sonomi steels herself once more as she casually throws this next question out at the wind.
"And will I start training in order to hopefully make whoever this is stop their ways?"
*Pri smiles lightly at the back and forth Sayaka and Ruriko are having.*
I knew y-you two could get along i-if you just talked.
*Pri mumbles. She's distracted from her happy thoughts by the blue glow of the pixie flying around. She watches it dance around for a moment before it takes off. She looks over to the others, raising her voice a bit.*
H-Hey guys. The um... the F-Fairy thing is moving again. It went that w-way.
* Pri points down the Northern route.*
S-Should we follow it?
Damon wraps his arms around Capricorn and tries to drag her along with him in pursuit of the fairy.
C'mon girls times a wasting~
He swivels his head to face Ruriko and Sayaka.
Don't we have a very impatient and dangerous witch to fight!
Huh?
* It takes a few seconds for Pri to recognise what Damon is doing to her. By the time she's fully aware of what's happening, Damon is already dragging her away.*
W-Wait. H-Hey, um, c-can you let go of me? P-Please? I-I'll go willingly, so... um...
* Despite her objections, her struggles are minimal, most likely due to her knowing that Damon is friendly as well as her pacifistic nature not wanting to accidentally hurt him.*
Oh...
Madoka just nods to the Incubator, she knows why it might be put out. But oh well, she doesn't much care if the thing is annoyed by them having quit their death trap of a 'job'. Instead she'd focus her attention on Kamilla, leaning down and offering the small girl a kind smile while Homura paces in the background.
M: "I want to help her too... And um, as much as I care about Sayaka... We haven't been doing great lately, so yeah I think we need you! I'm sure that we'll be able to do something!"
Homura just absently spins her blade around as Madoka tries to offer the small girl some comfort, as best she can anyways. Sure they can help is reaching a great deal, but that doesn't show on her face as the girl speaks calmly and with energy behind it.
Damon and Capri
Once again, Ruriko and Sayaka almost immediately blurt out in unison
R+S: "We are not.."
Only to again be left glaring at each other until the pair realizes they're already falling behind.
Ruriko: "Hey, you're following my lead here."
Sayaka: "Like anyone'd follow you."
and similar bickering quips as the group of four head down the hallway.
As the group follows after the fairy, the creature would soon fly up a fair bit higher as they hear a faint *click* from the labyrinth walls, followed by several large arrows flying out from each side of the walls aimed at both Damon and Capri
M, H, and K
Kamilla:"I d.. I don't.. Think.."
Kamilla doesn't manage to get a full complaint out before Kamilla leaves the younger girl with her.. New caretakers. The girl is hesitant at first, but soon enough
Kamilla: "R.. Really? I'll Do.. Do my best...
The girl's eyes light up at even this small bit of encouragement and she seems to be quite a bit less wary of Madoka, though her dark-haired friend is still somewhat worrying, the pink-haired girl seems to have a calming aura that makes her easier to be around.
Sonomi
Since she'd already gone this far, Suzuki breathes out a sigh and heads over to one of the place's empty, white walls. The girl draws out a simple paintbrush from the silver ring on her right hand, one identical to Sonomi's own ring, and draws a rectangle on the wall. Once she does, the wall fills itself with the picture of another girl, not much older than Sonomi with bright blue hair
Suzuki: "Miki Sayaka. She was a competent, if overeager Magical Girl I've worked with on a few occasions until about a month ago. That's when people started disappearing."
Suzuki brushes a few stray hairs out of her face as she turns back to Sonomi, looking up and down the girl as though analyzing them before she smiles.
Suzuki: "As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, I don't think its something you can handle. I'll be glad to teach you, but I want you to promise me something. If you ever see our rogue, you need to run."
*Pri's eyes widen as she notices the arrows. She gasps before shouting in a panic.*
Marigold: Shell
* If she cries out in time, her shield would expel a small dome of hexagonal barriers just like earlier, defending both her and Damon from the attack. After the attack stops, Pri would calm her breathing and drop her barrier. She would look back to Damon.*
Can you let go of me now?
Sonomi simply waited and watched, blankly looking at the wall where she sees first hand the little scene unfold. And of Sayaka Miki’s unveiled portrait. Of course it just had to be of someone she had heard of before. Heck, she’s even met this girl once. She looked with disbelief as she eyed the portrait, pointing at it from the couch.
“I’ve met her before. She seemed nice. Is she really the rogue? Sayaka-Chan...reminds me of someone...”
She simply held back potential tears from shedding, looking downwards with her hair covering her eyes. Sonomi lost herself in thought once more, fighting her disbelief and instead just looking back up, smiling with her eyes closed. Run away once you see her. How nice of her to be concerned at the very least...
“I-if you think it’s better to do so. Then, I...promise. Solemnly swear on it. Cross my heart and all.”
The arrows surprise Damon and he easily freezes up as they approach. Luckily, someone else was more quick on their feet than him so hopefully no damage was sustained.
Oh um sorry about that.
Is all he lets out after the sudden heart stopping surprise he just experienced. He lets go of Capricorn after saying it and dives his shaky hands into the deeper pockets of his pants.
Madoka would rub the young girl's hair for a moment, smiling brightly at her with a nod to Kohaku before the magical girl vanishes from sight once again. There's no sense in dragging her out like this...
M: "I'm glad you'll help us, and don't worry... Even if anything happens, we won't let you get hurt. Homura's nice too, even if she doesn't always seem like it!"
The girl in question rolls her eyes at that, but doesn't deny what Madoka's saying and even seems to have a slight smile on her face. The truth of the matter is though, they've wasted more than enough time for now.
H: "Yeah uh... What Madoka said, but for now let's focus on getting things rolling here. I want to find Sayaka, soon."
Capri and Damon
The arrows bounce harmlessly off Capri's shield, leaving her and Damon unscathed. After the arrows strike off the barrier, they fade in a faint blue light, rejoining the rest of the labyrinth
Whereas their two companions are able to protect themselves, standing back to back as Sayaka generates a blue magic circle to block one side, while Ruriko strikes the ground, ripping up part of the floor to act as a barrier to shield the two from arrows.
Ruriko: "So even you can pay attention sometimes."
Sayaka: "Hey, I've been at this well over a year now."
Ruriko: "Coulda fooled me."
The fairy seems to be getting impatient as the group remains in place. This time it doesn't even wait for them. Instead, the labyrinth moves for them, walls rushing straight by Damon, Capri, and the others.
The next trap the group encounters is a trio of saw blades, each large enough to split a log and spaced evenly across the path, with a fair amount of space between them.
H, M, and K.
Kamilla giggles and closes her eyes for a moment when Madoka strokes her hair, its comforting in some ways and she's able to look back up at her two new companions.
Kamilla: "R... Right.. Um.. Nice... I mean.. I'll do my best!"
Kamilla lets out a puff of air, briefly reminded that they were actually doing something. So she asks."
Kamilla: "Where are we going?"
Sonomi
Suzuki lets out a sigh and closes her eyes, before slowly nodding in response.
Suzuki: "I didn't believe it either. That is, until I ran into her earlier today. She's not one to take lightly."
A lie of course, but Suzuki brushed off the idea with a sigh. There was no way for Sonomi to know that, so there was no harm in it. Suzuki walks back over to the couch to put a hand on Sonomi's shoulder.
Suzuki: "Its alright if you need to say anything. I want you to be able to rely on me. Just take a moment."
*Upon seeing the sawblades, Pri lets out a slight whine.*
I-I don't think I l-like video games...
* Pri would nervously look back at the others.*
W-What are we going to d-do?
Taken aback by Suzuki getting close to her and even making some physical contact, Sonomi almost jumped from shock, but instead, she sat in place, trying to recollect her thoughts. She breathed in the air around her and closed her eyes, and then breathed out calmly before looking back at Suzuki.
“Trust me, I do, really. It’s just that Sayaka-Chan reminds me of my older sister, and of me. They both had the same name. I always saw my sister on T.V. Whenever she performed, I couldn’t help but smile. Sadly I never got to see her in person...but...”
Keeping careful not to ramble too much, she smiled distantly, looking the other way as she hummed a little tune. It was only then that she realized that she had accidentally made her thought reading powers known. But instead of panicking, she instead gazed at Suzuki, making sure to at least have some tangible eye contact with the other girl. Even her tone had went from hesitant to curious.
“Tell me: Can you feel anything when I do this? In the air? Or with me? Is there a way for me to mask it so people won’t have to know? And...when will training start? I’m very excited, after all.”
Leave it to me all you overpowered magical types!
With the bravado of a plucky side kick, Damon plunges his hand into his bag for his lovely ball of string and then tosses it overhead of the blades. Once it reaches the high point of its flight the ball fully unravels and multi-colored string falls on top of the blades. Damon hopes that the durability of the string could at least slow the blades down if they can't stop the blades entirely. A very risky move given that he can already feel the cold metallic edge of the blades on his skin.
C'mon gimmick.
He mutters. Waiting to see what happens.
Madoka pulls out her phone and... For the moment just tries to get ahold of a certian blue haired girl, she doubts that it will work. But it's better than doing nothing or just wandering around blindly with zero clues. Homura just rubs her forehead with an annoyed look, suddenly wondering if anyone in this werid ass city could teach her magic for tracking down people. Even if they could though, it's a useless question right now.
M: "We're kinda trying to figure that out ourselves Kamilla, there... Wasn't nearly as much of a clue as to where she is as we hoped to find in this place."
Capri and Damon
Damon's strings would entangle the blades, stopping them for a moment as they are forced to slice through his string.
Sayaka: "I've got this one, just stay behind me."
This gives Sayaka plenty of time to get ahead of the others, bringing up the same blue barrier of notes that she'd used earlier with the arrows, preparing to block the blades herself.[/i]
Ruriko:"Amateurs."
While the others attempt to block the saws, Ruriko goes around to the side of the group and, as she had with the arrows earlier, the girl punches the ground, this time bringing up the floor tiles in a wave that sends the saws flying into the air.
These saws pass by the fairy-like creature, which is forced to weave between them.
Satisfied with her work, Ruriko lets out a sigh before looking over to Damon and Capri
Ruriko: "Alright shield girl, you wanna be useful, how about one of you act as a spotter or something. Blu and I can't see the thing, but if you can just pinpoint it we should be able to crush it no problem."
Sayaka: "Who said y-"
bzzz bzzz
Sayaka's complaint is cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing. The sudden noise is enough to make Ruriko jump, but after the initial surprise the girl does her best to ignore it.
Sonomi
Suzuki remains silent for a moment, attempting to process everything she was told. The older girl closes her eyes and lets out a sigh
She really is a nice girl. I hope they'll be alright
Suzuki: "I.. Understand. Or.. Sorry, I know that never helps.."
Suzuki lets go of Sonomi, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck and opening her eyes. The girl chooses to move on to business she's better at anyways.
Suzuki: "Ruriko has a similar problem with her eyes. Don't worry, I can't feel it. I imagine no one would be able to notice it without some kind of prior knowledge. As long as you don't talk about it your ability should be fine. As for training."
Suzuki looks over Sonomi one more time, her gaze falling upon Sonomi's ring before she shakes her head
Suzuki: "You've been fighting haven't you? May I see your soul gem for a moment? Its the source of your magic so maintaining it is vital."
M, H, and K
Unsurprisingly, Madoka doesn't get a reply. The phone would ring a few times before going to voicemail. Same as always.
Kamilla looks down at her feet, a bit dejected. Though the girl hadn't actually done anything wrong, she felt a bit bad at being unable to help either.
Kamilla: "I.. Wish I could help more but.. Well.. Sayaka.. Its.. Like she doesn't like me any more."
S-sorry. I don't m-mean to be s-so useless...
*Pri would watch as the fairy deftly moves past the saw blades. She would point in it's general direction*
I-it's over there. Past the s-saws. S-Still, I dunno if following it is s-such a- Hmm?
* Pri would look over to Sayaka as she hears her phone start ringing.*
S-Shouldn't you answer that? It m-might be important.
(edited by Capricorn)
Sonomi was taken aback by Suzuki’s thoughts, her eyes going off to the side as she scarcely gazes at the other girl. Her previous interests that she might have had before was now brought back to doubt once more. She speaks in a bit of a hesitant tone as she replies to her condolences.
”It’s fine, really. It’s in the past...”
But her eyes had widened at the mention of her soul gem darkening. A detail that she had forgotten about until it was brought back up again. Sonomi put her finger on her chin to think for a bit before speaking to Suzuki once more.
“Oh, it is? It left my train of thought...how do I-uhm, does my ring signify it’s condition?”
Well that was a poor use of string.
Damon sighs and follows the movement of the fairy with his eyes. He does continue to listen to the girls, but only says one more stray comment.
Someone is popular in this witch den~
Madoka would sigh a bit, but as the voice mail kicks on she simply leaves a message for the blue-haired girl while absently staring down at the device in her hands. Homura smiles at the small girl and does her best to be kind, it's not exactly that well practiced, but she does mean well if nothing else.
H: "Hey, don't blame it on yourself or anything... Sayaka makes her own choices, and all we can do is try to help her make the right ones. In the end though, it's up to her. Just try to be there though, that's all anyone can do..."
M: "Sayaka, I'm sure you're busy right now but if you could give me a call or something I'd like to talk with you. Hopefully, I'll talk to you soon."
She'd look towards Madoka with a lopsided smile while saying that, pondering how that advice doesn't merely apply to Sayaka Miki or only in this case. Either way though, for the moment they really can't do much more than wait for a little bit. Besides wandering aimlessly and hoping to find something, but that seems a waste to Homura and Madoka alike.
(edited by Madoka-Kaname)
Damon and Capri
Sayaka brings her old flip phone out from beneath her cape and checks it quickly, however once she reads who its from the girl immediately closes it with a huff, her mood dropping considerably.
Sayaka: "No, its fine. Just someone I used to know. Its not worth listening to."
There's a hint of bitterness in the girl's voice that Ruriko seems to ignore, letting out an irritated sigh and hitting her fists together
Ruriko: "Man, glad you guys have all the time in the world. As for me, nah I'm not blindly following the thing that's trapped us here. I'm just gonna kill it"
The girl's usual cocky grin is back as Ruriko jumps towards where she launched the saws earlier. Though the pixie-like creature wasn't expecting such a direct attack, it would still be able to dodge out of the way, letting out a bit of a giggle as the silly girl passes by... Only to be grabbed by Ruriko after all
Ruriko: "There you are. This won't take long."
Though the creature might struggle, its rather weak on its own and is unable to stop Ruriko from crushing it, letting out one last pitiful noise before being crushed in the girl's gauntlets.
With its master gone, the maze would crumble around the four, leaving them back in a largely abandoned arcade, Ruriko standing off in the middle with a wide grin
Ruriko: "See? Its actually pretty easy."
Sayaka doesn't even answer her, simply staring at her phone for a minute before transforming back into her school uniform, if nothing else she doesn't seem willing to fight.
Sonomi
Suzuki lets out a sigh before presenting her own silver ring with an opalescent gem set inside it to Sonomi, its located on the same hand as Sonomi's own ring and the finger it rests on has a multicolored palette imprinted on it, a symbol frequently used by artists. As she shows Sonomi her mark, Suzuki begins lecturing
Suzuki: "These rings are the form our soul gem takes when we're not transformed, both for convenience and secrecy. It also allows Magical Girls to identify each other. Even though we can hide our rings in theory, the marking is always visible. Anyways, this means our rings are just as potent an indicator as the soul gem's full form. There's nothing to worry about though, you can bring out its full form by instinct."
Suzuki turns her hand over, palm up, and causes her ring to flow around her finger, turning into a white light before coalescing in the palm of her hand and turning into an egg-shaped gem that glows with all the colors of the rainbow.
Suzuki: "Just like that. Now its your turn."
Madoka and Homura
Kamilla looks at Homura uneasily for a bit, but gives the older girl a determined nod as she stammers
Kamilla: "R... Right. I.. I'm sure everything will work out just fine."
It would be a little while until Madoka got a reply, if at all. For now there was little to do but rest and wait.
*Pri looks at Sayaka concerned. "So people do care about you, Miss Sayaka. I wish you could see that."*
H-Huh?
*Pri looks around in suprise as the labyrinth falls apart around the group. Realising that they were back in the real world, Pri quickly raises her hood back above her horns.*
Does t-that mean that fairy w-was your target all along? Oh. N-Now I feel stupid for following it. I-I'm so sorry...
*Pri looks at her feet, pulling her hood down to hide her eyes and biting her lip nervously.*
Damon grins at Ruriko's attitude.
I thought witches were like these huge scary monsters that people like me weren't meant to handle princess. That little fairy was something I could easily have caught for you if you let me.
He laughs after saying this and glances at the other two.
Well we did the good deed so maybe you two can lighten up. Oooh perhaps getting some sushi together would bring up the mood~
"Oh, is that so? That's nice to know."
Sonomi felt a bit stupid afterwards when she realized it's simplicity, looking a bit distant as she slipped her own ring off. She held her ring close to her as Suzuki demonstrated how to bring the soul gem to light...literally. After she saw her mentor's soul gem in all it's glory, she nodded her head and looked at her own ring.
"So...like this?"
As she held her ring to her chest, she closed her eyes and tentatively focused in order to do it the correct way. Sonomi gasped as she felt the light hit her, as she let her hands open to reveal her own soul gem appear radiantly from the ring. Luminescing in the brightest color...slightly opaque and black. Noticeably darker than Suzuki's soul gem in fact.
Damon and Capri
Ruriko grins back at Damon, hitting her palm with her other hand, letting out a small laugh of her own before transforming back to normal.
Ruriko: "Whatever you say oh noble knight. As long as you're paying I ain't gonna complain."
Sayaka looks up from her thought, slipping away her phone for now.
Sayaka: "Sorry.. Uh.. What's your name again?"
Sayaka looks at Damon for a second before shaking her head and scratching the back of her neck.
Sayaka: "Anyways, I'm just gonna pass. That's not the only Witch around."
Ruriko: "Seriously? Talk about a killjoy."
Ruriko shrugs and shakes her head with a sigh as she says so, much to the other girl's annoyance. Sayaka crosses her arms and turns away
Sayaka: "You got the seed right? That's all I owe you."
Sonomi
Suzuki looks at the gem for a moment before she closes her eyes, a gentle smile across her face
Suzuki: "Exactly like that. It looks like you've gathered quite a few curses. Wait here for a second."
Suzuki heads for one of the walls, leaving her own soul gem out in her open palm as she continues her lecture.
Suzuki: "A side effect of using our magic is that curses can start to gather in our soul gems. These curses are similar to the ones Witches like to spread to their victims."
Once Suzuki reaches the empty wall, the girl pulls a paintbrush out of her soul gem, the object forming around the stone's edge until its full length is brought out. Once she has it, Suzuki draws a simple square on the wall, revealing a hatch from which she withdraws a simple, black gem much like the one Sonomi had destroyed earlier today.
Suzuki: "The only way to be rid of these curses is to use a Grief Seed dropped by one of these Witches, like this."
Suzuki would return to where Sonomi is so as to more easily demonstrate. Though her own gem was mostly clean, Suzuki would hold the Grief Seed by her soul Gem and watch as what little blackness had gathered simply transfers through the air to the Seed.
Suzuki: "This maintenance is a vital part of remaining in fighting shape. You can take this one for free, it should still be good for another use."
*Pri looks at her feet.*
S-Sushi is... fish right? Like. F-formally living... breathing... oh...
* She rapidly shakes her head*
No! N-No. S-Sorry. I just... I don't l-like fish... or meat... or crowds... or c-cramped spaces. N-Not to sound ungrateful for the offer, cause I r-really do appreciate it, but I... S-Sorry, but I j-just can't.
The name is Damon, but you could call me noble knight too~ I'm beginning to really like the ring of it.
Damon raises a brow at Capricorn's list of dislikes, but opts to leave her be. He moves closer to Sayaka and Ruriko to peer at the seed thing.
More sushi for us then Princess-chan.
First thoughhh can you tell me about what this seed thing is?
Sonomi watched with starry eyes as Suzuki taught her more about being a magical girl. A new lifestyle that was worth being excited over.
”Wow, I never knew they were called curses.”
She nods with understanding as she accepts the Grief Seed given go her by her mentor. Holding it to her own soul gem like the way Suzuki had demonstrated to her. As her eyes followed the curses leave her soul gem, her smile grows slightly.
”I feel at ease now. Thanks. Last time I encountered one of these, I destroyed it without thinking. I feel like I wasn’t supposed to do that...”
Damon and Capri
Ruriko presents a small, black jewel within a wirey cage marked with a dark sphere out its top, letting out a sigh as she does so
Ruriko: "Yeah, of course I got it. I'm not careless."
Sayaka and Ruriko look back to Damon, with the blue haired girl narrowing her eyes at Ruriko before turning around and heading towards the entrance
Sayaka: "He's your friend, I'll leave this bit to you."
Ruriko: "Friend's a strong word."
Ruriko lets out a bit of a chuckle before playfully catching and tossing the grief seed she received before presenting it to Damon
Ruriko: "TLDR, these things drop from Witches and are used to replenish our magic. In other words the more seeds a Magical Girl has the more magic they can use and the stronger they are. These babies are priceless."
As for Capri, Sayaka would walk past her towards the exit to the building, pausing to give Capri a few words
Sayaka: "Sorry you ended up getting caught up in all this, its.. Best we don't talk again. It doesn't get any prettier than this."
With that vague warning, Sayaka would leave the building, she can be seen bringing her phone out of her bag as the girl rounds the corner of the arcade.
Sonomi
Suzuki gives Sonomi a gentle smile and closes her eyes, letting out a thin sigh
Suzuki: "Its true that if you destroy a grief seed before it gets the chance to hatch you won't get any sort of reward, but you still protected a lot of people."
Once Sonomi's done using the grief seed, Suzuki takes it back, closely looking at the gem to discern its condition as she continues, passion rousing in her voice once more.
Suzuki: "The important thing is that everyone is safe. Anyone who's more concerned with the reward doesn't deserve to be a Magical Girl."
*Pri lets out a nervous laugh*
W-Well, this was a complete accident. I'd p-prefer not to get caught up in t-this again. I don't l-like people fighting. I'm a p-pacifist after all.
* Pri smiles, looking over to Sayaka as they left the arcade.*
That was your friend calling back in the labyrinth, right? You should go talk to them. I know you said you have no-one, but It's obvious they care about you. You should go talk with them. Face to face. I know they'll listen if you ask them too. You don't have to do everything alone.
“Oh, I did? That’s great. It’s what I was aiming to do!’
Sonomi let out a lighthearted breath as she was reassured. She looked a bit downward and tried to cherry pick a random thought that came to her mind, immediately looking back at Suzuki.
“But I feel like I’m missing something vital. Like a weapon. You use your paintbrush for that reason, right? I haven’t actually conjured up something like that yet. How do you do that?”
Damon stares at the seed with clear awe, but doesn't dare touch it. Who knows what weird witch germs he could catch from interaction with it. He then gives Ruriko an appraising look.
So we aren't friends then ...?
Damon suddenly looks away by dramatically turning his head.
Shame guess I can't tell you all the secrets I learned today and the gossip I have heard about you. You'll have to forever wonder about what could have been Ruri-chan~
Capri
Sayaka lets out an irritated sigh and shakes her head. There wasn't much of a point in arguing it seemed, not at this point. She didn't want to hurt anyone so for now it'd be best to at least come to some sort of agreement. If for nothing else than to get Capri to stop pestering her about it.
Sayaka: "I've already told you, there's nothing there. We've never been friends."
Still, Sayaka flips open her phone, despite her promises to herself
Sayaka: "I'll call them back this one time and you'll stop bringing it up, alright?"
Damon
having shown it to him, Ruriko casually puts the grief seed away in her pocket with a grin. The girl looks back up at Damon for a moment, only to quickly look back down, so as not to seem interested
Ruriko: "I'm not falling for that one. You're just trying to rile me up."
Ruriko shifts uncomfortably for a moment before making another snide remark
Ruriko: "Besides, who'd you have heard it from? its not like you have friends either."
Sonomi
Suzuki briefly nods to Sonomi, once again withdrawing her brush from within her soul gem as
a demonstration
Suzuki: "You could say that I suppose. In mine and Risako's case, well."
Suzuki briefly waves the paintbrush in front of her to demonstrate its rather small size before continuing
Suzuki: "Its not so much a weapon as a way for us to focus our magic. Technically I don't need it at all, but I've grown used to the tool so it'd feel strange to drop it entirely."
Her little demo over Suzuki's paintbrush would dissolve in the air again, leaving the older girl time to adjust her shirt before she continues
Suzuki: "Anyways, its something that should come naturally, but I might be able to provide further assistance once I've gotten a chance to practice with and view your magic more. When do you think you'll be able to start?"
(edited by Incubator)
*Pri smiles.*
Y-Yeah. Of course. I promise.
* Pri bites her tongue to stop herself from appologizing." I don't think I'll need to bother you about it after this anyway." She takes a small step backwards. " If I can make one person happier, then that means I'm doing it correctly. Right mama?"*
Capri
Sayaka: “Alright then, let’s get this over with.”
It wouldn’t take long for Sayaka to punch in the number, like she had done many times before, though she doubted she’d ever do it again, and call. Once the girl on the other side picked up the clearly irritated Sayaka gives them a short
Sayaka: “What’s up? This had better be good.”
Madoka and associates
It took a while, but eventually your phone would ring, opening it up would reveal the caller to be Sayaka, though they hadn’t been willing to talk in a while. Once Madoka answers her phone she’d receive a rather short greeting.
Sayaka: “what’s up? This had better be good.”
*Pri laughs nervously.*
Y-y-you erm... You might.... uh... C-calm down... Please?
The girl's eyes follow the small paintbrush's movements as it's figure was being waved around in the air by her mentor before she nodded. She looked at her waist, just now noticing that something that she usually has isn't there.
"That's rather interesting. So far I've been relying on something that...isn't actually here at this moment. Weird."
When the conversation goes on for a bit longer, Sonomi pulls out her phone, looking out a window dismissingly as her gaze spaces out a little, but before it would look like she wasn't actually listening, her fingers tapped at what might have appeared to be light speed on the phone before putting it back.
"I texted a good friend of mine that I have something to do, so I can actually start now! If that's fine with you, of course..."
Damon gazes at Ruriko with mock hurt in his eyes.
That is true but you don't have to say it meanie.
Madoka sighs a little bit, she was hoping to be greeted more nicely but if Sayaka wants to be like that then okay. She'll still try and help. Her voice is clearly worried, but not quite as much as she actually feels.
M: "Well, one I have something you should probably hear. Two I kind of just wanted to talk, you've... Kind of had me concerned about you."
She'd pause and grimace for a second, before briefly speaking up in a quieter voice.
"I can't and won't force you to do anything, just want to make sure you know people care.
Damon
Ruriko: "I.. Um.."
The girl wasn't really expecting that kind of response from Damon. Now stuck in an awkward situation Ruriko turns away from him and scratches the back of her neck as she hastily tries to change the subject
Ruriko: "Anyways, weren't you going to buy me sushi? We'd... Better get going then."
Sonomi
Suzuki looks at Sonomi with a grin and snaps her fingers, causing what little furniture was in the room to retreat into the walls, providing the pair with an open, safe area to practice
Suzuki: "Very well then, we can start today. I'd like to start by sparring if you don't mind. I'll want to see what you're capable of for now so I know where to focus our practice."
With that, Suzuki would transform into her own Magical Girl outfit, a long painter's dress covered vibrant splotches of paint, some of which seems to extend over her face, and of course her paintbrush held tightly in her hand
Suzuki: "Whenever you're ready."
Capri and Madoka
though Capri and Madoka would be unable to hear each other over the phone, Madoka would likely get some of Sayaka's first remark as she turns back towards Capri.
Sayaka: "Look, I'm doing what you asked. This has nothing to do with you anyways."
The girl lets out a sigh before returning to the phone. There she goes again, with that cute, timid demeanor that makes yelling at her feel like kicking a puppy. Sayaka finds herself forced to calm down a bit, speaking in a more stern than irritated manner.
Sayaka: "Do you mind getting to the point? I'm sure you have plenty of friends you'd rather be talking to."
On Madoka's end Kamilla would lean in closer, trying to listen in on their conversation, but not wanting to interrupt anything if she could avoid it.
Ah. I'm s-sorry... I just thought... m-maybe...
*Pri's voice trailed off. She bit her lip, her hand gripping her shield nervously.*
I'll b-be quiet now.
Sonomi looked around her slightly bewildered as the furniture shifted places, her words starting to stammer as she was put on the spot.
"Uuuhhhh, wait, what about my-uhm, er...I'll try my best?!"
She breathed in, trying to calm her nerves, closing her eyes as she focused on herself, disregarding her own surroundings. As she did, Suzuki would slowly yet steadily see her transform right into the flashy lavender outfit she met her with in the doorway.
"...I'm not ready yet. You say that the weapon that one would summon if they were a magical girl comes naturally, yes? Do I just try and concetrate on it or...something?...uhhh..."
Get to the point... okay she can do that, she wasn't really expecting a warm reception but this takes the cake.
M: "Alright, Suzuki Kuroi. Do you know that name? She's a magical girl, and not a normal one either... Homura and I fought her, when her soul gem went all black it... It's like it summoned a witch or something. That's not how things work ever in my experience, and she's crazy strong too. Also tried to murder us, thought you should know."
She'd then sigh a little bit, just pondering that second point.
M: "And no I don't have plenty of other friends, I have like five at best. One of them is my cat. And even if I did, that doesn't matter because I still want to help you. We do care about you Sayaka, not just me either.
At that she'd place the device on speaker for a moment and nod to Kamilla.
Hey everyone
[/s]
hello, TinyPhantomPA5, how are you today in this wonderful thread meant for conversations?
Sonomi
Suzuki closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, keeping her paintbrush out to her side. Suzuki slowly shakes her head before replying
Suzuki: "There's no need to concentrate. Much like transforming it'll come naturally when you need it, let your new abilities become part of you until its part of your reflexes. Now watch yourself!"
Suzuki opens her eyes once again and dances off to Sonomi's left, swinging her brush as she goes to send a splatter of paint in Sonomi's direction. Sonomi would find these streaks of light to be as sharp as blades, though they're aimed to only scratch her arms for now.
Capri and Madoka
Sayaka lets out a sigh as she listens to the first bit of Madoka's talk. Capri can see the other girl smirk a bit before she makes a sarcastic comment. It wasn't a particularly great one, but its the best chance for sass she's had
Sayaka: "Gee, I can't imagine why she'd do that. But yeah, I've talked to Suzuki before. She tried to get me to team up but.. Well. I always knew there was something wrong with her. Call it a hunch."
Sayaka lets out a sigh listening to the other thing. It wasn't anything she was really interested in right now. If anything it came off as annoying at this point, but its not something she can speak out against either.
At Madoka's cue, the younger girl leans in closer to shout into the phone.
Kamilla: "Um.. Hi Sayaka. When are you coming home?"
Capri can see the other girl jump in surprise, both at the sudden sound and the voice that owned it. She didn't remember saying anything about her to Madoka, so....
Sayaka: "Kamilla? What are you doing with them?"
Kamilla: "Well these three people came over and said they were looking for you too so I just kinda followed them. You're coming back right?"
Sayaka: "J... Just.. Let me talk to them for a bit alright?"
*Pri decides not to interupt Sayaka and her friends anymore. She instead watches Sayaka from the sidelines. She slowly brings her hands together and closes them in a praying motion. "Miss Sayaka really does care about her friends. And they care about her. I just wish she could see that. Or perhaps she doesn't feel like she deserves acceptance. Hmm..."*
Madoka sighs a little bit before taking the phone back to her ear and putting it off speaker once again, Homura merely smirks slightly without saying a word. Having overheard while the speaker was on.
M: "So, what exactly do you want to talk to me for after hearing that. I don't mind, but I'm curious is all..."
She's clearly making no attempts to hide that she heard Kamilla's little talk, and speaks in a conversational tone which is moving away from speeches and such.
M: "Well whatever the case is, I'm willing to listen. And I'd like to think you know me well enough without drawn out monologues so I'll spare you a speech."
The girl simply shrugs at that point, settling into a comfortable silence as she waits for Sayaka to speak. It's not as if the blue-haired girl can see, but from the tone of Madoka's brief words it's very clear her mind's stubbornly made up. She's not backing down from this, nor is she giving up.
Sonomi sighs out as she says that she’ll learn how to do it on her own eventually. Not in defiance, but in generally not understanding. Nevertheless, instead of whining about it, she slapped her cheeks and started her mind powers up, now intent on reading her thoughts to try and carry her through what’s about to happen.
“Wait, uhm, watch yourself?”
She examined her own outfit to try and find out what Suzuki was talking about until it actually hit her. Barely at least. The splotches of sharp paint made Sonomi gasp out, her body spinning itself around to maneuver it to the side with sloppiness. The extra way of dodging away from the attack left her a bit dizzy.
Sonomi
come on, you've got to have something
Looking into her thoughts wouldn't serve to provide Sonomi much warning of Suzuki's next move, closing the distance off to her left side and simply pushing Sonomi back into one of the walls
Suzuki: "Its not that complicated darling, just let your body move itself and something should come naturally."
Madoka and Capri
Sayaka: "What do I? What do YOU think?
Sayaka shouts into the phone, what little calm she might have had earlier gone now. She had hoped that just getting away would be enough to keep Kamilla out of her magic problems, only for it to turn out they were getting dragged back in anyways
Sayaka: "If you have a problem you should be dealing with me, not kidnapping a kid who hasn't done anything. What is wrong with.. No, it was HER idea wasn't it?"
Her, of course, referring to Homura. She'd never particularly liked the girl to begin with, and something like this didn't seem completely out of character.
Kidnapped... Madoka sighs a little bit and just shakes her head slightly, responding to the other girl in a frankly tired voice.
M: "Kidnapping, that's a gross way to mischaracterize it. We just stopped by your aparement Sayaka and found her sitting around there. Believe it or not, neither I nor my girlfriend are willing to abduct people!"
The black-haired girl in question would raise an eyebrow as Madoka's voice goes up, actually moving closer and putting a hand upon the smaller girl's shoulder. Madoka just takes a deep breath before going on. On the other hand though, it does give her something of a clue while whispering into the phone.
M: "... That's part of it though huh, trying to protect her? Running away from someone doesn't do that well, just makes them do stupid things looking for you if they really cared..."
She's taking a guess with that one, but it seems like an apt guess given what's known so far.
Sonomi did her best not to make sure that this push wasn't going to damage her more than it needed to, covering her own face with her arms as she stumbled into the wall. Afterwards, she put her hands on the wall and paused a bit to recollect her own thoughts before exerting more of her thought-reading powers onto her mentor.
"You're right. I'm going to stop overthinking now..."
She suddenly turned around, her wrist now wrapped in a black wire connecting to...something. Her body spun around once, her arms out and about as her legs were still not used to moving around like she is right now. If Suzuki's eyes were quick enough, she'd see that in her hand was a microphone.
"There's no point in second guessing myself!"
The microphone in her hand actually seemed to be a bit of a non-factor as there was actually a meteor hammer connected to the wire, spinning around once before it shot itself straight toward Suzuki. The meteor hammer itself easily being bigger than the girl's own head, it would do some hard damage despite it looking to just be an oversized noise protection filter.
(edited by Maizono_Swift)
Sonomi
That's better, she's adjusting much faster than Risako...
Suzuki jumps back, redirecting the meteor hammer into the ground with her paintbrush as she looks over Sonomi's weapon. The girl smiles and lets out a sigh
Suzuki:"See? All you need to do is stop doubting yourself."
Next, Suzuki sweeps her brush in front of her again, leaving a trail of light behind it as she quickly draws something simple, a rainbow-colored outline that forms itself into a long silver spear.
Suzuki: "Now lets end this,"
Suzuki takes two steps forward, beginning with a spear thrust directly towards Sonomi
Madoka and Capri
Sayaka lets out an irritated sigh and taps her foot for a moment, allowing Madoka to explain herself. Of course, it was kinda her fault things came this far, but that doesn't stop the girl from redirecting her anger
Sayaka: "You know that's not an option. Just being near her would be putting Kamilla in more danger. I just have to eliminate these Witches before they can get to her."
Sonomi's eyes actually grew wide, her shock and disbelief actually staying silent as her mind is trying it's best to process how she even did that. Though as the meteor hammer was brought back down onto the ground, the girl immediately snapped back to reality. Too suddenly.
"End i- AAAHHH!!"
The girl fell backwards a bit, stumbling as her head almost hit the wall again. Shockingly enough, as she fell screaming, the microphone traveled near her mouth, and as it did, the meteor hammer echoed the sound of the scream, volume and all. It'd do well to pierce Suzuki's ears, but Sonomi herself still had no ideal plan, so she was just on the ground, wincing as she covered her eyes.
(edited by Maizono_Swift)
*Pri frowns slightly. "All this solitude is to protect someone? I knew that you had people you cared for, but that's too sad."*
Miss Sayaka...
Madoka would just pause for a moment, she mostly just sounds immensely sad by the time she begins speaking again. Voice still a whisper.
"You... Let's pretend it actually is safer, which seems unlikely because I'm pretty sure Suzuki was looking for her... That still doesn't explain why you're trying to do everything alone."
The girl is starting to get a tiny bit annoyed as well, rubbing her forehead absently.
"You're just one person Sayaka, this isn't a superhero story where some lone warrior fixes everything. Even Homura's had to figure that out. So why haven't you?"
Sonomi
Suzuki seems surprised by the sudden noise, but it doesn't stop her from finishing her motion, leaving her spear pointed at Sonomi a few inches away from the other girl's chest.
Suzuki: "Not bad for your first try, it took Risako about three sessions to even make it this far.
Satisfied for now, Suzuki steps back, spinning her spear in the air before causing her weapon to disappear.
Suzuki: "That's enough sparring for now. Perhaps you ought to get some rest."
Madoka and Capri
Sayaka: "Suzuki was... I never told her anything about Kamilla, and even if I did I don't see why.. She's just a kid, why would she..."
Sayaka begins pacing, her breathing becoming a bit more labored as she tries taking everything in while containing her anger. She's still talking after all and its not like the person on the other side did anything to deserve it, though she can't stop her annoyance from showing
Sayaka: "You've got it all wrong, its nothing like that its just... Well, I'm a Magical Girl, and you know what happens to us eventually... If Kamilla were around when that happened then.. Well.."
Sayaka leaves that thought where it was, though it might sound like nonsense to Capri she has no doubt Madoka would be able to fill in the blanks.
What seemed to be her life flashed before her eyes, and only in such a short timespan as well. Sonomi would have fainted on the ground were it not for prioritizing her appreciation in her mentor's skill. The girl took a deep breath as she laid still on the ground, before springing back up onto her feet, dusting herself off.
"Oh, it did? Then I guess I must've been doing things on the fly real well. To be completely honest, I wish I actually knew what I was doing."
She laughed a bit as her outfit magically reverted to her casual clothes, and her weapon vanishing out of thin air. The girl looked in her pocket for her phone to look at the time, and then back at Suzuki with excited eyes. Nevertheless, her gaze was as curious as always. Most likely because she's using her mind powers one last time before really saying goodbye.
"Wow, it is getting late! I didn't even notice myself. Well, there's always next time! I promise I'll get better the next time you see me, goodnight!"
Sonomi says, bowing her head to Suzuki before "leaving", but really, she was mostly standing relatively close to the door as she had to text her friend where she was and all. Also to have an exact evaluation before attempting to leave to her friend.
Madoka sighs and rubs her forehead...
"Yeah, yeah I know... So why are you still a magical girl again? You have a choice there. And even if you insist, it's not like I'm useless either..."
She mostly just sounds somewhat worried, and intensely worn out. Taking a long pause before going on.
"What is it really about Sayaka, I can tell there's more than you're saying and I'd rather not just start guessing..."
Sonomi
Suzuki smiles at the younger girl before giving them a quick nod, watching Sonomi as they prepare to leave.
Suzuki: "I look forward to it. Just make sure not to overdo it either. And stay well away from that blue-haired girl and her friends!"
Suzuki lets out a sigh, looking down at her single silver ring, before closing her eyes and holding it close to her
Suzuki: "I'd hate it if something were to happen."
Suzuki wouldn't do anything to stop Sonomi from leaving, if she chose to do so they'd be free to go about the rest of their day as they pleased.
Madoka and Capri
Sayaka takes a deep breath, all the resentment that'd built up over these last few years boiling over. The girl lets her fury talk for the moment, practically shouting into the phone.
Sayaka: "you've always been useless, just shrinking away as soon as things get hard, and your 'choice' is just another way of running. I'm not like that, I might not be a hero but I'm still not going to run, even if its all I can do."
Sayaka lets out a sigh, having finally gotten to vent. She wasn't planning to continue talking much longer, but for now she may as well remain
Sayaka: "That's what I've never been able to stand about you, everyone always treats you like some precious flower to be protected, some delicate thing that could never do anything wrong."
(edited by Incubator)
The girl just laughs into the phone for several moments, if she had heard all this five months ago or so she might well have broken down into tears... As is though, Madoka's mostly just amused by how little Sayaka really knows anymore.
"Haha oh man, you really do think all that don't you? And you know, if you had said all this a few months ago... You'd have been right honestly."
She takes a deep breathe while her free hand shakes, clenched into a tight fist while glaring at the wall behind her.
"Yeah yeah, you got a point there Sayaka. But you've kinda missed a whole lot too... "
Madoka leans the phone against her shoulder, raising both hands up and cracking them audibly with a slight smile. All while speaking in a tone of obvious anger and annoyance.
"Fight me. You say I'm useless, too scared to do anything hard at all. So alright, I'll prove you wrong. Not Homura, not both of us. Me... Just gimme a when and where, unless you won't do it."
*Pri flinches as she hears the resentment in Sayaka’s voice*
Oh dear... M-Miss Sayaka. Please c-calm down.
She smiled and waved right before she was about to leave, but then she felt curious, and also felt that her departure was a bit rushed, so she closed the door behind her and simply let curiosity take over.
“Sorry for intruding, I just want to ask only this before I leave: like what?”
Just like at the start of their meet-up, Snooki had adopted back her inquisitive nature as she starts to ask questions once more, even secretly using her thought reading to know what the answers will be,
“And...does Sayaka have any friends in particular?”
Suzuki
The older girl seems to get a bit nervous, looking away from Sonomi as she scratches her arm
Suzuki: "Surely you're kidding? I'm just.. telling you to be safe is all."
its the only hope I have left
Suzuki: "So just.. Get going already."
Suzuki lets out a sigh, clearing her throat before mentioning at the end
Suzuki: "I can't be expected to know the full list, but there's miss Kaname and miss Akemi. For whatever reason they seem to have sided with miss Miki, so seeing them would be dangerous as well..."
only going to keep getting in the way it seems
The Suzuki closes her eyes and solemnly shakes her head before stifling a yawn.
Capri and Madoka
Sayaka momentarily covers up the speaker on her phone, so as to turn to Capri with a smile. However, it doesn't come off as a natural, happy smile. Rather its more of a patient, yet fuming one.
Sayaka: "this was your idea remember? Just give it a bit we're almost done."
With that, Sayaka turns back to the phone. If nothing else, the idea of beating up Madoka sounded somewhat therapeutic, and at any rate backing down now certainly wasn't an option. Instead, just to annoy the other girl Sayaka gives her a bit of a chuckle
Sayaka: "Yeah, sure why not. GYM's too mainstream, so lets meet behind the Denny's Old, ruined Leblanc. You've been there before right? We shouldn't be too bothered there. Tomorrow good for you? Just keep in mind I'm not holding back. Oh, and just to be sure make sure that girlfriend of yours isn't there. You did say you wouldn't rely on her right?"
The younger girl carefully notes her mentor getting a bit nervous from her inquiry, deciding to let her kinder feelings take over and letting Suzuki off easy. This friendship is very beneficial after all, what with mentor-student relationship. Who else could possibly teach her how this cool magical girl stuff works after all?
“Tee-hee, my apologies! It was merely a jest. But thanks for noting Sayaka-a-ai...I mean just Sayaka-Chan’s associates.”
She’s not your sister, she’s a “killer”. Surely though, we can all get along. Maybe. What Sonomi was sure of was how she mistakenly upped her fancy talk when telling of Suzuki her...joke. She tried to recover from the awkward transitions by simply smiling at the older girl, just barely closing her eyes. There was almost a hint of smugness behind her content expression.
“Don’t worry, Suzuki-Senpai, I won’t let anything dangerous happen to me. I’ll be sure to keep those names in mind! That being said, see you later, for realz this time.”
Masterful, constant code shifting and tactical use of thought reading powers. Just the best way of making an exit. Other than actually making the exit as the girl waves to her mentor before finally closing the door after she leaves the room. Joyful humming and slightly peppy skips could faintly be heard from the hallways outside as the girl left the building.
O-Oh. Right... Sorry...
*"But I didn't want you to fight. I wanted you to get along. Oh" Pri sighs reluctantly. "I hope I didn't make a huge mistake."*
The pink-haired girl just giggles slightly, sparks flying around her body while the image of her Persona halfway forms behind her... Homura would raise an eyebrow at that display while walking closer again.
M: "Yeah I know that place, and I can be there after school sure. This should be interesting if nothing else. See you tomorrow Sayaka."
With that said and done, she'd click the phone off with a sigh before turning to the black-haired girl who's simply standing there with crossed arms.
H: "I heard your half of that you know... Try and make that idiot see some reason, and she better not do anything harmful in the long run.. I'll stay out of it though.."
There's an implied threat in Homura's words, but for the moment she just leaves it be while looking to the young girl with a frown. Madoka speaks up in a somewhat cheery voice.
M: "Well, that could have gone better... But I think I can work with this actually, maybe I will be able to help Sayaka. Some good may just come of all this Kamilla! Anyways for now I guess we're going home... Did you need somewhere else to stay though?"
H: "Mmm, hardly seems like a great place to be on your own right now.
The pair waits for a moment, not really feeling that comfortable leaving the kid alone if Suzuki was looking for her. Which seemed to be the case from their viewpoint.
Sonomi
Suzuki lets out a bit of nervous laughter before waving goodbye at Sonomi, putting on a grin in hopes of hiding how worried she was. It was only once Sonomi had left that the girl lets out a sigh of relief
that girl's going to be quite a handful. But maybe its better that way...
its the last thing Sonomi gets from Suzuki as she heads away, with nothing better to do for the day.
Capri
Sayaka: "I'll be waiting."
Sayaka makes one last remark before clicking off her phone with a sigh. Afterwards she looks over to Capri, her unfortunate companion for the time being
Sayaka: "Well, I'm about to head out. Anything else you'd like to add?"
Madoka and Homura
After finishing their little conversation, Madoka turns to Kamilla. The younger girl shifts nervously for a bit, uncomfortable with the idea of being looked at before she says
Kamilla: "T... The door's broken... I can't lock it anymore."
The younger girl doesn't seem to be able to get out what she actually wants, however its clear that they wouldn't feel safe alone anymore. At least not for now. Kamilla wouldn't resist any attempt to lead her places as she remains lost in thought.
A-Ah. N-No. I'm just glad you... uh... talked with y-your friends.
*Pri laughs nervously.*
W-Well, I gotta go now too... erm... G-Good luck with... the monster hunting... s-stuff. Y-Yeah. Erm. O-Ok. B-bye now.
* Pri pulls her hood down to hide her eyes and begins walking quickly away from Sayaka, giving her a small, half hearted wave. "Oh. What did I do? Stupid Pri. I think I just made things worse. I'm such a bad daughter. Mama would be so mad. Ah..." Her distressing thoughts cause her to blush in embarassment as she leaves Sayaka to her own devices.*
Both of the pair sigh for a moment before Madoka takes one of Kamilla's hands and starts walking off...
M: "Yeah... Sorry about that, come on we've got a spare room anyways. I hope you aren't alergic to cats though, we kinda found a stray a little while ago. He's really nice!"
Homura just keeps her hands in her pockets, shadows vaguely dancing around the girl as her eyes dart about in a clearly wary manner. She looks ready to strike at any second... Madoka, in contrast, manages to carry on a casual conversation while heading home in spite of the rather strange events of today. And that'd be the end of it for this day...
Sonomi was pleased with how she did today, humming even more as she took out her phone from out her pocket, wasting no time in dialing a number.
S: "Asena-Chaaaaannnn, you won't believe what I'm coming home with today!"
She said, prancing about on the outside, giggling and singing late at night for no reason at all. After all, the sun had set long ago. Tomorrow is another day.
Risako
The girl wandered through the lower floors of Suzuki’s apartment building. It had always been strange how empty the place was, but Risako didn’t want to doubt her mentor.
That’s why she always ignored the trail. It wasn’t a trail, really, more a sense of unease that permeated the place, flowing through the building like a silent song. There was no doubt the others couldn’t see it, she doubted even her teacher knew.
But nothing could fool her eyes. It was troublesome at times, but it was better than being blind. She’d never go back to that.
One of those times was now, as she paced through the empty corridors and turned towards the left wall. But it wasn’t a wall, really. At least, not when the girl gathered her courage to reach for it.
It wasn’t a door either, it was something much more sinister than that. After touching the wall, the source of the song...
The girl reflexively jumps back with a scream before swiftly shutting her mouth with her hands and running off. She couldn’t risk being seen. As it is she might have been heard.
But for now, she knew it wasn’t safe. Not here. Maybe she should ask Suzuki about it.... But if they knew about it.. Left it....
For now the girl simply runs off, into the night as her teacher breathes out a sigh.
Suzuki:”Looks like time’s running short. Very well, I have my own role to play.”
The white-haired girl remains in her room, a white room devoid of furniture looking at a wall of pictures. These pictures show scariest of fantastical creatures, a cartoonish circle, a comic book style city...
And one depicting a wall, a seemingly inconspicuous wall in her own apartment building.