aboxfulloftea222 | The 46th Post!

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Sayaka-Oktavia looked at Kyoko, and blinked.]

< But I'm at the Academy too, when I feel like it? And so is Kyosuke!>

[Mami-Candeloro nodded at that.]

The Academy doesn't have any rules against mermaids and sirens joining up, correct? I mean, it would be really strange if they did - Sirens are tranditionally considered to be one of the best singers, after all!

[Kyoko sighed, then, as several more little Witches came into the room and plopped themselves right next to the sofa.]

< We're hungry! Feed usss! >

[A little one that looked like a tiny little painter doll piped up.]

[Mami grinned, then, and started to poar more tea for the newcomers.]

...Yes, of course!

[And then, Kyoko groaned.]

- Something's still weird, though - I can feel it in my bones!

[The outside world]

[Homura sighed, then, as she felt Sayaka transform.]

...Why in the world are your power levels so low? And your aura -

[The bluehead's aura was clean as a whistle, but also as flat as a board. It really was strange, Homura thought - It was like somebody had exchanged a beautiful big opal with a big blue plastic imitation or something!]

"Oh, don't worry, dear Kyoukoo." [Mami served her more tea with a smile] "Eveything is just fine!"
"I guess..." [Kyouko finished her tea and stood up, stuffing more snacks into her jacket pocket for later] "I gotta go now."
"Hm? Already?" [Mami candlloro pouted]
"Yeah. I gotta help my dad set up things for church." [kyouko stretched]n "We still on for the shadow hunt later?"
"Ah, yes, that. I almost forgot. Well I do have the party I must plan for..."
[kyoiko frowned at that] "Party?"

[and meanwhile,
[The two magical girls found the entrance to the witch lair and went in. Inside it was decorated like a spacious church, but eveyting was black and white, silhouetted shadowes in the back ground.]
"Here we are. Try to keep up, transfer student."
[After serachign for a while, suprinignly no familars around, they came upong the witch. It was the shadow silhouette of a girl with hair like tree branches, she was kneelign at the altar in prayer]

[Inside Sayaka's Mini-World]

...Why, to greet the new little ones in style, of course!

[Mami said, and then laughed, a pair of pretty fangs showing.]

- Everybody loves a good party, right?

[Kyoko stared at that, too, but then shook her head, smiling ruefully. So why did she feel that there was something wrong with Mami having fangs, again?]

...Alright, then - Have fun party-planning, and don't forget to call me for the actually party, OK?

[Kyoko said, and then waved goodbye toward Sayaka. Sayaka-Oktavia grinned, and waved back, her tail flipping on the sofa.]

< Of course not! See you later, Kyoko-Not-Yet-Ophelia! >

[Kyoko waved, then, and turned to go. She walked toward her house, humming to herself, and then blinked as she saw somebody that looked like her sister Momo talking to something that looked like a shrub.]

< No, no, we have to clean it up, right now - Big Sis is going to cry if she sees anything like that! Come on, come one - >

[And then, she jumped up as she caught sight of Kyoko, groaned. Kyoko blinked, as she realized that she could see right through Momo. Since when had her sister been a shadow, anyway?]

< Big Sis! Oh, no, you have the worst timing - >

[And then, she took a deep breath.]

< Hey, Big Sis - There was something I wanted to ask you about. Could you come over here a bit, and talk about it with me? >

- Sure, Momo! Just wait a sec, I'll go talk to Mom and Dad first -

[Kyoko said with a smile. The shadow girl grimanced at that.]

< ...No, no, not now! Please come this way, Big Sister... >

[And in the church, two shadows who looked like Kyoko's parents and a lot of chinese doll like things were quickly clearing away things that looked like a lot of dead bodies. A couple of shadowy goldfish were swimming around in the air, too, quickly lapping up the dark blood on the floors.]

< ...Poor Kyoko! I wish she'd stop doing things like this to herself, I really do... >

[A shadow that looked like Kyoko's mother said, and then sighed, picking up a body that looked just like hers.]

< ...Husband! Help me carry this, OK? >

[In the outside world]

[Copy Sayaka sighed, then, and pointed to the girl like figure kneeling at the alter with her sword]

...Alright, then - Is this your turn, or mine?

Edited 2016-01-21 06:40 (UTC)

[Kyouko started to head into the church, but Momo pulled on her hand] "Wait Oneechan! Mama said, you have to buy me ice cream first!"
"But you had ice cream yesterday!" [kyouko couldn't help smilling at that. Not that it counted, considering Kyouko's own appetite] "Are you sure?"
"Uh-huh! Ice cream! Or something else yummy! " [She smiled cutely at her sister] "And, there's a surprise!"
"Well then" [Kyouko patted her head] "Let's go!"
"Yay!" [So they headed off, before Kyouko could see the gruesome scene inside the church. Later after getting some ice cream together, Momo led Kyouko to a field , where a black and white speckled horse was waiting[ "Look oneechan! It's your horse!"
[Kyouko blinked and smiled, recahing up to pet it] "I remember you. It's good to see you again, my friend." [The horse knickered and nuzzled her]

[meanwhile]
[homura just quielly pulled out her gun and aimed it at the witch's head, hoping to finish this as quietly and quickly as possible]

[The outside world]

[Copy Sayaka noticed what Homura was doing, and almost started to complain, but then, she shrugged. She'd let the Transfer Student go first, if that's what she wanted to do.]

[Homura took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger - And then, she almost groaned, as two Familiars came out of the Witch's hair, and deflected the bullets at the very last moment!]

...Ha ha ha! Nice try, Akemi-san - So now it's my turn, eh?

[Copy Sayaka said with a grin as the Witch howled. And then, she charged in with a yell, her sword held up high!]

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Kyoko sighed a bit, then, as she ate the ice cream.]

...Everything's going so well, though, it's almost scary! I have friends, real friends, not people you just hang out with sometimes, and school is even fun every once in a while! And the church is doing OK, too, right? Father even really smiles, sometimes, not those fake smiles he used to paste on his face when he was trying to talk to what was left of his congregation...

[Kyoko stopped talking then, and paused. Wait, what?]

[And that was when Shadow Momo sighed.]

...Papa always loved us. He really did. It wasn't just lip service, and he wasn't just pretending.

[Kyoko looked at her, her eyebrows raising.]

- Yeah, I know. So?

[Shadow Momo sighed again, and licked at her ice cream.]

...He loved Mama, even though he'd had to give up becoming a priest of the Chatholic Church because she got pregnant and he couldn't bear to just run away from her. He loved us, too, even if getting married and having a family had never been part of the original plans for his life. And then, he became a Minister of this really tiny Protestant sect - Do you remember our old church, Big Sis?

[Kyoko stared at her, and put her hand to her head.]

- Yeah, of course. The church with all the doggies, right? I never could figure out the real reason we had to quit, anyway. Papa and Mama used to be pretty happy back then, I think...

[Shadow Momo nodded at that.]

...Yeah, I'm not sure either, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with church politics. And Papa was starting to get all sick and depressed, too, which didn't help matters at all.

[Kyoko stared at Shadow Momo, her eyes wide.]

......Yeah, he was, wasn't he? I...I...

[Shadow Momo looked up at Kyoko, then, her eyes sad.]

- And then, he tried to make his own religious organization, and tried to make it on his own, but that didn't work out very well, either.

[Shadow Momo leaned up, and patted Kyoko's head, then.]

...What I was trying to say, Big Sis, was that Papa - Our real Papa - loved us, and would never have hurt us.

- That was all his Witch's doing, OK?

[Kyoko stared at her, as her vision began to swim.]

...But he...wasn't a Magical...

- Yeah, yeah, he wasn't a Puella Magi or a Puer Magi, and his Witch wasn't this big obvious thing, but still, it was there. And that was what killed us all.

[And then, Shadow Momo leaned over, and gave Kyoko a hug.]

...It wasn't all your fault, OK? And that - that thing wasn't really Papa, either, even if it started out as part of him. The Papa who loved us, that was our real Papa! Not the other one!

"Wait! sayaka san! Don't be so reckless!" [Homura called after her. With a cry, copy Sayaka dived towards the witch, swinging her sword. more familiars, looking like serpentine shadow puppets, burst out of the witch's hair, striking at sayaka. Sayaka yeleld out as some hit her, but she cut through them, getting closeer to the witch. Tree branches grew out as well, stabbing through sayaka]

[And the memories came rushing back to Kyouko. Her father's messages and the difficulties with the church. That white creature Kyubey. Making the contract, becoming a magical girl. Meeting Mami and going under her tutelage. And then, her father's discovery of her magic.,,his expression of shaock, and disappointment. His depresion,,, and then that horrible night, the fire, the blood, the bodies...]
"..No...." [Kyouko fell to her knees, her heart thumping] [lashing out at mami afetr the tragedy, going on in her lonely new life, hardened from the experience,,, meeting that stupid sayaka... and something worrth in her life again, that stupid sayaka,,,

[The outside world]

[And that was when Copy Sayaka shook her head, looking annoyed indeed!]

...What the bloody hell!

[She grunted - And then, she began to saw through the tree branch things, not seeming to care overmuch if she was sawing through parts of her own body in the process.]

- Hey, Transfer Student! You can have this fight for now, OK!?

[Homura stared at her, her eyes wide - And then, she took a deep breath, and started to rush toward the Witch, time-skipping as she ran. She took out a couple of generades out of her shield, hoping that would work...]

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Kyoko cried, then, burying her face in her hands.]

...I - I made the wrong Wish, all right!? What I really should have Wished for was for Papa to get better, and for all of us to be able to live together happily, as a family!

[Shadow Momo sighed, then.]

- Hindsight is always 20 : 20, Big Sis. That's what Mama always used to say, remember?

[And then, she hugged Kyoko again.]

...And Papa was depressed for a long time, from long before you ever met that red eyed creep with that stupid, stupid smile.

[Kyoko started to cry in earnest, then.]

- I - I couldn't even tell if he had a Witch Mark or not, in the end! There was just too much blood and death, and...and...

[And then the witch finally looked up and turned aorund to copy sayaka, a smile visible on her shadowy face[ "Ah, dear sister. Can you feel it? " [She said in witchspeak. Copy sayaka could understand her] "The rapture is coming! Our saviour's arrival is soon!"

[meanwhile]
[Kyouko sniffled and looked around] "And now, he's dead. And mom, and you, little sister..."
[The ghostky Momo hugged her sadly[ "Uh-huh. We are, unfortunately. What you see now is just a memory of us."
"That's right...this world, isn't real, is it." [Kyouko rememebred the events from yesterday at the concert now] 'It's just a n illusion, Sayaka made. But I can't be made at her fro it...

[The outside world]

[Copy Sayaka sweatdropped, then.]

...Since when could Witches say anything we can understand, anyway?

[Homura stopped in midair, then, and turned back to her.]

- You can understand her!?

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Shadow Momo smiled, then, and looked up at Kyoko again.]

...Hey, we're real too, OK?

[And then, she gave Kyoko a hug.]

- Even if we aren't really the same people you remember - We're still your family, and we still love you.

[Kyoko hugged her back - And then, all of a sudden, they were both in the church, and Kyoko's Shadow Mother and Shadow Father were looking at them happily. There was no sign of any dead bodies or carnage anymore, and everything was sparkling and clean and warm.]

...I love you all, for ever and ever and ever.

[Kyoko's Shadow Father said happily, and then gave her Shadow Mother a kiss on the cheek.]

[Kyoko smiled, then, as the chinese doll girls and the goldfish appeared around them, all clapped their hands and flippers. Pretty dark streaks had started to float through her Soul Gem, and they were very fitting, she thought dreamily.]

[...This wasn't bad. This wasn't bad at all.]

[Wait, magical girls could sometimes start undertsanding the witch language as their gems were draining and they were heading to despair. But Sayaka's gem still seemed bright even as she fought. Too bright. And then it dawned on her Homura. Could the gem be a fake? A plastic rhinestone copy of the sapphire musical crescent that was Sayaka's soul gem?]

[Kyouko could hear a voice in the back on her mind. Her voice. She had a vision of herself riding her horse, wandeirng to no particular destination, just leaving the world behind. Yes, who cared about that lousy world. She didn't belong there anyway. She was a loner, a drifter. Just going by her own life... might be nice...
Her other self... her witch self...
No, that was wrong! Kyouko puleld herself back] "I can't do this!" [Wasn't the point of staying in this illusionary world was to avoid becoming a witch? But, it was too late. Sayaka was a witch now. So was Mammi, it seemed...But, they weren't monsters. And they seemed happy. Weren't witches miserable? They were safe, and happy here] "..So thats how it goes. [All right, screw the outside world. There was nothing left for her out there anyway. She felt she could count on that spooky Homura to keep that sweet Madoka safe anyway. So maybe this was an illusion anyway. But oh well. She could try to forget about it and enjoy it.] "Ok , other me. I'll give in. But I ain't abandoning everythin. I'm stickin by my friends, ya hear? I'll stay by their sides even if I wander...] Kyouko closed her eyes and as she received er other name, ophelia, her red hair ignited into flame]

[The outside world]

[Copy Sayaka shook her head, then, irritatedly.]

- Oiiii - Transfer Student! This is not the time to be spacing out on me, do you hear!?

[And then, she took a deep breath, and held her magic sword up. She didn't particularly want to saw off her own arm to get free, but if that was what it took, then that was what it took. Right?]

[Homura groaned at that, and then forced herself to turn away from the all too plastic-y brightness of the blue headed girl's Soul Gem. She'll try to get a better look at it soon enough, but - For now, they had to deal with the Witch first.]

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

< ...Of course not, Kyoko-Ophelia! >

[Sayaka-Oktavia said, and gave her friend a hug.]

[And so did Mami-Candeloro, from the other side.]

< We are always going to be friends, and stick to each other like - like magnets! >

[Kyoko-Ophelia blinked, as she realized that all of a sudden, all three of them were sitting in Mami-Candeloro's living room, and Mami-Candeloro was poaring them tea with a smile.]

< I made your favorite nut cakes, too, Kyoko-Ophelia. Please do have some. >

[Kyoko-Ophelia smiled, then, and looked at her friends.]

< Yes. Thank you. >

[And then, she gave both of them a hug, her firery hair showing sparks over them.]

< ...It's good to be home. >

[Mami-Candeloro said with a smile.]

( this was hurting... Wait what was itbthat kyubey said? She could nullify the pain if she focused? Well something told copy sayaka she couldnt trust kyubey anymore, that he was actually up to no good. But she had to beat this witch and she was in a puckle. So she focused, numbing the pain, and dhe cut through the branches, reaching towards the witch, whi was still praying.)

(Candliri mamis apparemnt had changed to a fancy fine western house, which looked like a cute cottage on the outside. Bebe tribblef and hopped into kyouko ophelias lap , hugging her too)

[Homura, in the meanwhile, had taken a deep breath, steading herself.]

...Hey, Miki Sayaka?

[She said, and then, waved a hand, catching the other girl's attention. And then - ]

- Duck!

[Aand then, Homura sent some bombs flying toward the Witch!]

[Copy Sayaka ducked away and rolled over the floor, bleeding all over the place - And that was when Homura went in for the final blow!]

[And several minutes later...]

[The bluehead was coughing on the dust as the Witch Barrier went down.]

...Geeze, couldn't you do that sooner? Like, you know, before I almost had to saw my own arm off?

[Homura shuddered a bit as she saw the blue haired girl pushing her arm toward her body. It was almost like the Sayaka before her was a ball joined doll, trying to push a detached arm into her body...]

[Copy Sayaka, in the meanwhile, was sighing in relief as she felt her body mend.]

- Well, alright, then -

[She said, and then, she took her Soul Gem in her hand, checking it. A dark blob had formed in part of it, and it almost looked like it was fizzing or something.]

...Hey, Akemi Homura! You promised to give me the Grief Seed this time, right?

[Homura nodded, and took out the Grief Seed, holding it out to Sayaka. A promise was a promise, after all, and she did want to see how Sayaka's strange Soul Gem reacted to the Grief Seed...]

[Aand that was when there was a frizzing noise, like somebody had opened up a can of cola which had been shaken for ten minutes - And the dark energies popped out of the blue head's Soul Gem with a swirl! Copy Sayaka stared as the strange energies floated up into the air, and disappeared into a void, not even going near the Grief Seed Homura was still holding out.]

...This again? What the heck is happening now, anyway!

[In Sayaka's Mini World...]

[Mermaid Sayaka blinked, as a ball of dark energies came floating toward her.]

< ...Welcome back, I suppose? >

[She said with a grin.]

" this has happened before?" ( homura raised an eyebrow)
" well, yeah. Been going on the past couple hunts, dont know why." ( copy sayaka shrugged) " my gem feels fine though."
"...." ( homura walked closer and held out her hand.) " give me your gem."
" huh? What? Why?@"!( copy sayaka stepped back uncertainly)

( the darkness floated around in the room before settling onto the wall, forming the shadowy silhouette of a girl kneeling in prayer. Mami candleoro , now dressed in a frilly tea party outfit, clapped in delight and giggled)
" wonderful! A new sister has arrived!"

[The outside world]

[Homura groaned, then.]

- Fine, fine, whatever - Just show it to me then, OK?

[Copy Sayaka nodded at that, and then showed Homura her Soul Gem, gingerly.]

[Homura checked the Soul Gem, and sighed. It still felt sort of plastic-y, but it was a real functioning Soul Gem, as far as she could tell...

...Thank you.

[Homura said, taking her hand away - And then, she paused.]

- But when did you figure out that trick to turn off the pain? It took me years before - I mean, it was a long time before I even realized it was possible!

[The bluehead looked at her quizzically.]

...I think...Kyubey might have said something? The goddamn creep usually starts gloating once he can't keep up the pretense of being a cute...little...

[Homura's eyes widened, then, as the girl standing in front of her suddenly crumpled to the ground.]

- Miki Sayaka!

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

< ...I'm not too sure of that, Mami-Candeloro... >

[Sayaka-Oktavia said, and waved her hands.]

< The poor dear's Grief Seed is still out there, after all! >

[Copy sayaka remained on the ground in a faint heap. Homuraa sighed and shook her head, then picked her up. She froze time and carried Sayaka back to her house. By then the wounds on Sayaka were already healing. She did not notice that the witche's grief seed suddenly vanished.

And it reappeared moments later in the dream world]
"Never mind! Here it is!"
"Ah! Splendid!"

[The outside world]

[In the meanwhile, Homura had realized that the Grief Seed had vanished in the confusion.]

...Damn it, where'd it go?

[She griped, searching about the place the Witch Barrier had been.]

- Those things are dangerous, damnit!

[And then, she looked at the churning dark energies in the upper part of her Grief Seed, and sighed.]

...And I could have used a cleansing, too, if I was being honest with myself, I suppose...

[Well, it wasn't like she didn't have quite a bit of spare Grief Seeds stored up, but still, this was annoying indeed.]

[And that was when there was a chuckle...And a golden ribbon with a Grief Seed attached to the end of it came drifting out of a wormhole that suddenly opened up in the air!]

[Homura stared, flabbergasted, as the golden ribbon quickly stuck the Grief Seed to her Soul Gem. The dark energies seemed to be being drawn out as five times as fast as normal.]

[And then, the ribbons and Grief Seed were both gone with a jaunty wave,drawn back through the wormhole in the air - And the wormhole itself was gone, too, like it had never existed.]

[Inside Sayaka's mini world]

[Sayaka-Oktavia grinned, then.]

< That was very nice of you, Mami-Candeloro! >

[Mami-Candeloro grinned back.]

< But of course - Homura is Madoka's friend, after all! And Madoka is Sayaka-Oktavia's friend, and my friend, too! >

[Kyoko-Ophelia sighed a bit at that, and crunched on a rice cracker.]

< ...Hey, come on - The pinkhair's my friend too, right? I mean, she is in lots and lots of Otherworlds, anyway, so... >

[Homura sighed and shook her head. she would have to look into this later. She reacjed Sayaka's home. Good, her parents weren't home. Unsure exactly what to do with the sayaka in her arms, she just lay her down onto the couch and left.
Aftewards, Homura decided to head to Madoka's house to check up on her, just in case. Madoka was just finishing up dinner and helping her father clean up. Homura hestitated, then rang the doorbell.]

:"Her name is Madoka!" [Sayaka Oktavia suddenly spoke up]
"Will she be joining us?"m [Candleoro asked lightly, forgetting that this was only a dream world and Madoka shouldn't be there.]

[Sayaka's mini world]

...I dunno...Maybe later?

[Kyoko-Ophelia said, and then, she crammed some potato chips into her mouth.]

- I mean, she does have a family who loves her and takes good care of her, and all that stuff...

[Mami-Candeloro nodded, then, and then, Sayaka-Oktavia laughed.]

...Well, we could always invite her whole family here too, if it came to that, I think!

[And then, she paused.]

- But not right now, I don't think.

.......Hey, there's something important coming up, now that think about it, right? This Walupgis thing, whatever it really means?

[The outside world]

[Homura went home, then, and flopped on the sofa with a sigh.]

[Things were so confusing - So what was that ribbon thing, and why was it so much like Mami's ribbon, anyway?]

[And that was when there was a cough, and something rolled out from under her sofa.]

...Hello, Akemi Homura - I'm called Eight, or Hachibei if you prefere, and I've talked to your friend Madoka before, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't destroy this body before you hear what I have to say, ha ha ha - I can't afford to just use up spare bodies like a certain younger brother of mine does, I really can't!

[Homura stared at the dust covered critter, and groaned. It had amber-red eyes instead of bright red eyes, she realized now - But now what?]

( mami could hear her witcj self tittering in excitement ) " walpurgis! Our queen! Our celebration! She is arriving!" ( but, was that a good thing? How did the witches know that?)
" hang on a minutes..." ( kyouko ophelia sat up, frowning a bit) " we should probably look into this whole upcoming event or something... Somethings not right."
" true. We should be prepared...( sayaka oktavia agreed with a nod. She felt her witch self tut in disagreement. .it shouldnt matter, thry should just go on in this perfect world without a care... )

( and meanwhile)

( still, homura was suspixcious at this new incubatir and pulled out her gun at it.)
(Hachibei chuckled wryly and shook his head) "i understand your concern miss akemi, but really. I am not yiur enemy. In fact, i am a traitor to my knd. A defect, because i have deceloped real emotions and thoughts of my own. I want to help you.) ( he smiled at her hopefully ) " please listen to what i have to say, at least. Is that all right?

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Kyoko-Ophelia sighed, then.]

...Look, we're over thinking this, I think. All we have to do is ask our Witch Selves what's actually going to happen, right?

[And then, she closed her eyes, and tried just that. Hmm, a world filled with Witches, where nobody would ever have to worry about losing their sanity again - That did sound pretty nice indeed, yeah.]

[But then, she blinked a bit.]

...But where, in this new world, are the human beings???

[The outside world]

[Homura groaned, then, but she did put her gun away.]

...Sure, whatever, talk away. Whether I believe a word you say is another matter, of course.

- Splendid!

[Eight chirped, and then smiled up at her.]

...I've got a couple of things I wanted to talk about, but the first thing is - Have you realized that the Miki Sayaka you've been talking to today is not the original item, Akemi Homura?

[Homura blinked at that - And then, she went over to the table, and took a sip of the cocoa she'd been making before Eight had come along.]

- Huh, that does explain a lot. So she's, what, an copy?

...We believe she is a construct of some kind, yes.

[Eight said, and then, he eyed Homura's cocoa.]

- You know, Akemi Homura - I tend to be much more talkative when somebody feeds me something good to eat first. Hint, hint!

[Homura groaned, and put a hand to her forehead. Incubators.]

[She got him some cocoa in a cup with a sigh. Hmm, what else?]

[And then, Homura remembered that she'd been planning to eat some crackers and cheese and pickles, and got two plates worth of that ready, as well. It felt weird preparing food for an Incubator like this, as she kept remembering a happier time when they'd actually trusted Kyubey, but - She really could use all the extra info this distinctly odd version of an Incubator could throw her way, after all...]

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Sayaka Oktavia scowled, then.]

< That doesn't sound any good at all! Where is Madoka and her family going to live, if there's no place left for the humans anymore? >

[And then, she blinked.]

< ...Oh, wait - My real human family is back there, too, now that I think about it - And so is the Copy Me! >

[Kyoko Ophelia, in the meanwhile, was just munching on another donut.]

<...Well, I don't have any humans that are important to me anymore on the outside except maybe Madoka-chan, buuut - >

[And then, she blinked, too.]

< - No, wait! My horsie! What's my horsie gonna do, if all the humans are gone? >

[The outside world, Homura's apartment]

[Eight jumped toward the food that Homura gave him with a grin.]

...Itadakima~su!

[Homura smiled a bit in spite of herself as she saw him chew down the food, and then took some of the crackers with cheese and pickles on them herself.]

- Hmmm, so if that Sayaka is a copy of some kind - The real Sayaka has shut herself up in that dream world of hers after all, right? And so has Mami and Kyoko, probably, so...

[Eight nodded at that.]

...Probably, yes. But on the other hand - Akemi Homura, have you noticed anything strange about Witch related activities in general around this area, recently? They're getting strangely organized, in my not so humble opinion...

[Homura stared at him, then.]

- Organized? What do you mean?

...There've been cases of Witches just disappearing before a Magical Girl could go destroy them - They just disappeared, Witch Barrier and all. And there also seem to be some other cases of Witches actually entering another Witches's Barrier, just so they can talk to them, I suppose...

[Homura's eyes narrowed, then.]

- Witches - Talk to each other?

[Eight sighed, then, and licked at his paw.]

...Oh, yes, yes they do, if the conditions are right...

[And then, he looked up at Homura, his amber red eyes quiet and somber.]

- Akemi Homura. Have you ever heard of a Witch Queen?

[come tot thihnk of it, homura did remember times when witch barriers have crossed paths. usually the withces briefly greeted eachtot her before going on their way. Sometimes they fought over territory,. But sometimes even, they joined forces. Mami's with and Nagisa's witch were a combo at least once......
Homura narrowed her eyes at the later question] "the witch queen. of course. Walpurgisnacht." she pressed a button and all the research, including 18th century german texts recording her first sighting, she had collected about Walpurguisnacht so far appeared holographically on the walls] "according to statistics, she is due to appear in this city at the end of the month."

[The outside world - Homura's apartment]

...Stastistics???

[Eight tilted his head at Homura, and laughed.]

- Ohhh, you're one of those, aren't you?

[Homura stared at him, and groaned.]

...What are you nattering on about now?

- Oh, nothing, nothing - It's just that you're not actually the only Magical Girl who danced the timey whimy dance by a long shot, you see...

[Homura groaned again, her hand to her head. She'd been trying as hard as she could to avoid giving Kyubey any information about her time travel related abilitiies, but this one had figured it out in about five seconds flat!]

[...Oh, well, part of that was her own fault, she supposed.]

[Eight, in the meanwhile, had not been actually able to figure out whether Homura's abilities were time travel, seeing the future, or something else entirely yet, but he wasn't going to mention that to her, no he was not.]

[Inside Sayaka's Mini World]

[Kyoko-Ophelia looked at Sayaka-Oktavia then.]

- Hey, Saya-Okty, do you mind if I make a stable here, and bring my horsie inside?

[Sayaka-Oktavia looked at her with a grin.]

Of course not － Any pets you bring here are quite welcome, Kyoko-Ophelia!

[Kyoko-Ophelia smiled, and then, she blinked. She'd probably have to talk to the man who was the caretaker of her horsie first, if she was going to go get him, right? ...Could she even remember how to talk Human-Speak in the first place? Hmmm...]

[The outside world, Homura's room]

[Homura sighed, then. Incubators.]

[Eight, in the meanwhile, was trying to get as much information about the situation in general as possible.]

...So what happens when the Walpugis arrives? Oh, I'd like to know what it looks like, and what it's abilities are, too, if that's possible...

[Inside Sayaka's mini world]

[Kyoko-Ophelia took a deep breath, then. Well, she'd just have to try this, wouldn't she?]

[And then, she opened up a portal to where she thought her horsie should be, and stepped through it, changing her form to what she thought wouldn't look too out of place in the human world.]

[She arrived in a wide open space with plenty of greenary, and a stable in one side. An old man in work clothes looked at her and grinned.]

...Kyoko-chan! It's you, isn't it?

[Kyoko-Ophelia looked at the old man, and paused, trying to smile.]

< Oh, yeah, it's me, Genjirou-san! Long time no see, eh? >

[The old man tilted his head, then.]

...Is there something wrong with your voice, Kyoko-chan? I couldn't get what you're saying at all!

Edited 2016-03-13 06:42 (UTC)

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