View source for 1717/The Miasma Rolls In

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/07/10
|Location=Mitakihara - Downtown
|Synopsis=The Grief Seed famine comes to an unexpected end. Sort of. Wraiths, and the Grief Cubes they drop, take their place.
|Cast of Characters=119,78,7,109,8,23,47
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's late at night, and the moon is high and bright in the sky. But not all of the bright light is reaching the ground anymore, as slowly, a thick, black-purple mist begins to form. Those who aren't magical heroes might not be able to see it, but they are so much more affected by it, as they walk through the dim streets of Mitakihara, and tall figures begin to form out of the mists behind them.<br /><br />Looking, at first, like porcelian figures in white robes, they swirl around the humans, who are oblivious to their presence. And they trade a thick, black smoke that emits in lines like condensed cigarette vapor from their mouths for the emotional strength of those humans - taking their emotional energy and replacing with with the toxic energy and negative feelings.<br /><br />Kyubey sits on a rooftop, pacing back and forth, though his expression doesn't change. "They should be here soon. They should be here already." he says as he sits down on the edge, and watches, well out of the ground-level.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Recently, Kyouko has taken to sleeping through the night. This is unusual behavior for her, given her previous lifestyle, but the past few months have seen an adjustment for her- there are less (recently, no) Witches to hunt, so no midnight hunts, she's working more hours than ever because now she has to feed herself ''and'' Momo, and things have taken on a sort of routine, at least since the end of the whole Fiore deal a few weeks ago.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is why she is in bed and asleep when the miasma begins to drift into town. However, a few months of relative laxity does not mean that instincts honed over years of harsh living have simply faded away. Kyouko begins to sleep restlessly, tossing and turning in her bed.. and suddenly snaps awake, sitting up, eyes wide. She turns and looks out the window of her small apartment.. eyes narrowing at the strange mist and what seems to be... figures moving through it. Big ones.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But what startles her most is that the feel of... whatever this is is similar to that of Witches. It's different, to be sure, but there's something.. something worth looking into at least. She gets out of bed and gets dressed, trying not to wake Momo, who is snoring in the other room on her makeshift bed, cracking open the window and henshining just before she leaps out, across to the firescape of the building across the alley, then up to the rooftops to get the lay of the land and try to figure out exactly what's going on.

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka's days have been pretty restless lately; Between the other non-Puella related crises that came up occasionally, her rapidly worsening grades in school and a general concern about where to get her next grief seed fix, her sleep has been difficult to non existant. More than once, she'd gotten up and starting listening to loud music, even playing DDR just to keep her mind and body occupied, cuz it was the only way she could relax.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So it was more than frustrating when she finally managed to fall asleep, only to be awakened by the sound of Kyubey's voice..As if that wasn't bad enough, when she walked over to her bedroom window, she could sense that something was definitely amiss. The sight of creepy blackish purple mist is unmistakable, and the feeling of some sort of dark magic is definitely at play. What was it, could it beA witch? But something felt off.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whatever it was, she felt it warranted investigating, and who knows, maybe she'd get lucky and find a grief seed. "Well, dammit, I guess I wont be getting any sleep tonight anyways!" with a grumble, she opens her clenched fists, revealing her soulgem and transforms as she leaps out of the window, following the traces of mist, hoping to find their source..

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's something he's been doing quietly for months: moving through the city, when he can, with arcane senses alert for hints of anomaly. It has not, in those months, yielded him a sign of a single genuine labyrinth. A youma with a similar power signature, once, and a Riventon drawn to the same thing. But no sign of a witch. Nothing he could signal Kyouko or Homura about, to augment their slowly decreasing stocks of grief seeds. That hasn't surprised him; the Puella are far, far better at hunting their particular prey than he could hope to be. It hasn't dissuaded him, either. In all but the worst of the crisis -- for him it's a few hours, and he can afford that. For them it might be their lives. Or Sayaka's, or Momo's, or Madoka's. Or all of them, once the first one falls, in an expanding vortex of battle and despair.<br /><br />Adding even a miniscule amount to the chance of avoiding that is worthwhile.<br /><br />All of which is why Kunzite is out, and alert, and close enough to taste the faintest farthest trace of the toxic energy that drifts with the mist. It's not witchsign; but it's closer to that than it is to most of the other monsters he knows. So he moves, tall and in white, till he comes close enough to see --<br /><br />Well. That's unfortunate.<br /><br />First things first. His hands dart up to unfasten his cape, reverse it, fasten it again with the darker lining facing out. The last thing he needs is to be taken for one of these things.<br /><br />Even without that, there are too many of the tall pale figures in the mist for him to be sanguine about the odds.

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Out of nowhere three bright streaks of pink magic streak out of the night and crash into one of the pale robed creatures assaulting one of the civilians. They're powerful magical arrows that might even be strong enough to blast holes straight through the unknown youma depending on it's constitution, and following backwards along their path will find a girl with pink hair up in twintails held with large red ribbons wearing a frilly pink, white, and yellow dress holding her bow. Her lips are curled slightly downward in focus and her eyebrows are lowered; whatever is going on here, Madoka Kaname is very serious about stopping it.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just moments before she'd been walking with Homura on what was expected to be an uneventful patrol, more of a nighttime romantic stroll than anything else. But then she'd felt them, that strange feeling she at first mistook for a Witch, confirming it by materializing and checking her Soul Gem. Once the reaction was confirmed the pair had henshined immediately and come running in frozen time. It didn't take long to figure out it was some kind of attack.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A quick glance, a glare really, is given to Kyubey as he paces along the rooftop, but Madoka doesn't pay him too much mind for now. There seems to be work to do. She jumps, doing a backflip and a half twist to land atop a lamp post, crouching down for balance and shooting a pair of slightly weaker homing arrows towards the head of another of the creepy masculine attackers, using the height advantage to shoot over the top of the woman he's approaching that doesn't seem to notice his presence at all. "Homura-chan, these people aren't recognizing the threat!" Which is both good and bad. On one hand they won't flee in terror, but on the other they might not pass out at the sight of magic, either.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is no Labyrinth here.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That is the first thing that Homura notices. The complete lack of a Labyrinth. Whatever these things are... can they really be called Witches? She's not sure that she can call them that, no matter how familiar they feel. Whatever these things are, these non-Witches, they are not hiding in a Labyrinth. Their magic, if magic is what that is, feels alien and strange to her. It actually isn't unusual to find a non-Witch youma in this version of Mitakihara, but what's very unusual is the kind of youma that sets off Witch senses without actually being a Witch.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a brief flash of Homura Akemi, in her business suit instead of her henshin, standing near Kyubey. "You're expecting an awful lot of help considering that you're trying to kill us."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There actually isn't any gunfire shot Kyubey's way, but there ''is'' plenty of gunfire to go around in this scene already. At the same time as Madoka's arrows, a literal rain of 9mm bullets falls upon the enemy. This is a new enemy for Homura, and there are several things about this situation that she doesn't like.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That miasma stirs wherever she moves, showing a clear path of where she's gone even when she's using timestop. Secondly, the presence of civilians on the battlefield means that she can't use anything explosive.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So... are they invisible to normal people?" says Homura in response to Madoka. "If that's the case, we'll need to aim our shots carefully. Aim for the head or chest. These creatures are tall enough that we should be able to hit those without hitting bystanders."

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>On a different rooftop, in the distance, a different Kyubey watches the battlefield with odd, grey eyes, tails flicking in a far less focused fashion than the red-eyed counterpart across the way.

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kyubey blinks. "I'm not trying to kill you." he says, casually. "I've been trying to give you space. Isn't that what you humans need when you allow the anger of your emotions to get the better of you?" he asks, tilting his head. "As far as I can tell there's nothing I've done to deserve this, but emotional creatures usually means irrational creatures, so I also haven't been entirely surprised."<br /><br />Bright pink shots tear through the miasma, leaving their own smaller lines in the black fog, and each hits a robed creature, shunting it backwards and breaking the strange link with the human they're around. They may not be witches, but the creatures howl in a way that sounds the way a labrynth looks - the disfunctional, disparate tones and sounds are horrible and grating. The holes punched by the arrows and bullets reveal that the creatures are literally false skin wrapped around a skeleton, like emaciated monks.<br /><br />Two of the three sink to the ground, near the misma, where the clouds seem to help repair their injuries, albiet putting them back together as though made out of tetris blocks or other cubes.<br /><br />More of them loom over from the distance, still linked by trails to their huamn victims, as they open their mouths and howl, too. But these howls carry with them a strange criss-cross of tiny but razor-like bolts of energy.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The tall spooky figures all seem to be gathering in a particular area, or at least have a greater concentration there, so that's where Kyouko heads. It just so happens to be where Kyubey is standing, talking to Homura, which is no surprise at all, because Kyubey is always in the center of things. Whether they're his fault or not.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko drops down with a soft 'thump' on the rooftop across from where Homura speaks, straightening up and striding forward, her spear materializing in her hand but then dropped back against her shoulder. She scowls, glancing at Homura and giving her a faint nod which is part greeting, part assurance of peaceful intent- towards her, anyway.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She catches the last of what Kyubey says as Homura turns to fire at the monsters and shout to Madoka, and she curls her lip, revealing fang. "Don't give us that bunk, ya rat, if ya ain't tryin' to kill us, why haven't there been any Witches? Is this what you been doin'?" She gestures with an arm, taking in the scene of miasma and strange towering creatures. "Cookin' up a new way to torment people that won't benefit us, kill two birds with one stone?" She's just assuming that since these aren't Witches, killing them won't yield Grief Seeds.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Giving us space?" Homura is right next to Kyubey again, the red-eyed one. The grey eyed one goes unnoticed. "Why, how considerate of you, but doesn't that contradict what you said before? I'm pretty sure you wanted to starve both me and Kyouko-san to death. Was that just another trick of wordplay from you? Look, if you're not after us anymore, I'm not complaining, but all things considered I think my rage lately has been pretty rational."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, as rational as rage can be. Wherein the reasons she has for being upset have been reasonable. Individual actions taken during rage are not necessarily all that rational, especially when they involve trying to kill a creature that can't die.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Deciding that the miasma actually makes her timestop ''less'' stealthy than moving around on foot, Homura changes her tactics. Not only would it be bad if the timestop always gave away her position, but it'd also be bad if that miasma touched her, became unfrozen, and then in turn unfroze one of those... whatever those creatures are. Yikes! A pretty bad deal for her even before considering how precious magic is right now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the other hand, that means when the lasers come her way, she has to respond with more conventional measures. She raises her shield, deciding that using her purple barrier costs less magic than healing the damage later, taking each shot that comes her way and the recoil that comes along with it, interposing herself between Madoka and the attack to protect her, too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Considering just how strong Homura's legs are, the fact that these thin beams can push her back is pretty impressive.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With her hand already near her shield, she pulls out a long sniper rifle, resting the barrel on her wrist so as to keep her shield up while attacking at the same time. She takes careful shots at the distant targets, trying to whittle them down while also protecting Madoka.

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Strange, why do the normal people not even sense the presence of theseFamiliars? Or whatever they are? Sayaka narrows her eyes, hurling a couple of swords at them as they attempt to assasult the oblivious humans, but she sees no labrynth forming, no evidence of a grief seed. Or witch. "Dammit, what trickery is this?" as she tries to figure out what's going on, it's not long before she spies the other Puella, and Kunzite? Well, first thing's first. She hurries over towards Kyouko, still on guard for whatever's coming next.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Kyou-chanWhat do you make of theseStray familiars?" a nod and smile is given to Madoka and Homura, and Kunzite as well, although her attention is focused upon Kyubey the most. Eyes narrow upon him, frowning slightly. "Is this your doing, Kyubey? What's this all about? I hear you were the one behind the vanishing witches" she glowers, starting to approach him, sword drawn. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now.." but of course, innocents come first and she spies the miasma, frown deepening as she heads for that instead, slashing thru cloaked figures on the way. "Dammit, wwhat is this?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There are ways in which Homura and Kunzite think alike; but in this instance, not having expected Madoka's appearance, he's a step behind. Still, he's already starting to summon a shield for the pink-haired Puella when Homura's slightly more visible barrier glows into existence -- he should've expected that. Still. If Madoka draws enough fire, Homura might need the assistance anyhow. He keeps half an eye on the brightest figure, just in case.<br /><br />And redirects his efforts to deflect the pale things' razor-edged energies away from the humans tangled in with the fight. Part-domes of darkness; heavy black mists -- if the moon weren't so bright, and Madoka's bolts, they might all be fighting blind.<br /><br />Which is all right. Sayaka's challenge is audible, and he half-turns to keep her in sight as well. She and Madoka are both experienced, by now... but when it comes down to it, Kyouko and Homura are the two he trusts to watch their back.

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka frowns further as the creatures don't fall to her arrows, but instead begin healing up. She jumps off her perch and down to the ground when the razor thin beams begin streaking out, twisting out of the way of one that carves a hole through her poofy skirt but leaves her otherwise unharmed, landing behind Homura and using her barrier for protecection. "You said you were going to kill Homura-chan and Kyouko-san, and maybe the rest of us too, for breaking your rules." She spares another look up towards the red and white creature, "When did you start lying to our faces, Kyubey? You must have a very low opinion of us to stoop to that."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura pulls out her sniper rifle and begins firing, and Madoka takes the cue. Remembering what she saw about that false skin she starts taking more careful aim, cutting back on volume of fire and instead taking a single precise shot with a powerful single arrow, trying to send it right through the spine of one skeletal, false-skin covered Wraiths, specifically targeting one that hadn't taken any fire yet and is still connected to one of the people milling about, figuring that at worst she should interrupt... whatever it is that it seems to be doing.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then a blue streak amongst the miasma, "Sayaka-chan! Can you help us get these things away from the people? I don't know what they're doing, but it can't be good..!"

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>If Kyubey could look offended, he would. "Lying? I've never lied to you. That would go against the rules." he says, calmly. "Sometimes I've withheld information, but that's not the same thing at all." Or at least it isn't to Kyubey.<br /><br />"You might die because I've changed the methods, but that's not malice. In any case, my hypothesis was right. You can't just take the witches out of the system anymore. Especially with Walpurgisnacht gone, something else will take their place."<br /><br />"You shouldn't kill this body because it's a waste of time and effort, Sayaka Miki." That's all of the reason Kyubey has, anyways.<br /><br />Madoka, Sayaka, and Homura's attacks carve through the Wraiths at a distance, some only being wounded and slowed down, others detonating into those odd rectangles and cubes and then vanishing. It seems like the skeleton or head is the point to target.<br /><br />There's a few more coming in from the distance, but in general, they're being worn down. Still, they bear down on the Puella Magi, howls with energy bursts and in some cases when close enough swiping at the girls with gnarled, bony hands that end in claws. As they fall, the miasma seems to grow less thick - they're both empowered by it and the source of it. One or two no longer seem to have the ability to make the skin cover their body properly, and, stretched too taught over their boney structure, it begins to look like it's melting away.

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The 'Second Kyubey' either doesn't have or chooses not to use whatever ability Kyubey has to slip between dimensional cracks and change positions - it instead makes massive leaps, ears flowing behind it like odd twintails, vaulting from one rooftop to the next until it's across from the other Kyubey, regarding it with grey eyes and a distinct -grin-. "You don't get it because you're an inferior prototype."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko doesn't look any happier with Kyubey's answer. "So this was all some big experiment to you, and if we died in the process all the better, is that it?" She blinks, distracted as Sayaka appears. "Saya-chan! I dunno what these things are, but they ain't good news.." She doesn't have time to say anything more as Sayaka goes leaping off to attack the things with her swords.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko tracks her leap, down towards where Homura and Madoka are tangling with the Wraiths, and spots another familiar figure shielding some of the civilians. "Nii-chan?" She mutters to herself.. then sighs. "Ugh, I guess we can sort out the particulars after this crap is dealt with.." She turns and leaps off of the building, just as the second Kyubey is arriving.. noticing it in passing, but not hearing its words, not pausing long enough to consider how odd it is for two Kyubeys to be in the same place (while both are still alive).<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She hurtles through the air towards one of the remaining wraiths, spinning her spear around and bringing it into position, locked under her arm, a red glow forming at its tip as she streaks through the air.. punching through the huge figure like a meteor, leaving a trail of red light, and slaming into the ground on the other side of it, the pavement cracking as she whirls and stands flipping her spear around, dodging out of the way of the retaliatory howling blasts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her landing has put her near Kunzite, and she calls out to him, "Nii-chan, what are you doing here? Is everyone alright?" She's clearly talking about Mamoru, Usagi, and the others- seems she assumes if Kunzite is our excercising his power, they may be in danger. Precedent makes her leap to conclusions.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's already lining up her spear to hurl like a javelin at the next nearest Wraith, though.

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka nods quietly to Kyouko, though the majority of her attention is on KyuubeyAnd no, two of them..? "Really.." She glares at Kyubey still, and sighs, knowing it would be a waste of time. "Even so, it'd make me feel better." she arches a brow, "So what, you're hoping one of us will witch out and become a worse threat than Walpurgis?" She growls, taking a swipe at Kyubey before Madoka asks her to help out. dammi! If Madoka witched out..Well, she does't want to think about it now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, Sayaka nods slowly to Madoka, but hesitates when she sees that the cloaked figures seem to be regenerating. "This makes no sense..No witch controlling them, only this miasma seems be at the heart of this, but how do we stop it?" She continues to stab at cloaked figure s on her way to the miasma, attempting to target where their hearts might be, even experimenting with cutting off their heads, wondering if anything has an effect on preventing their regeneration. Hitting their skeletal system seems to be the key, and so she focuses primarily on beheading them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Reaching the miasma, she peers over it thoughtfully, pondering how she can possibly stop it. "Maybe a wind can help..Tempestoso Typhoon!" she yells as she spins quickly with her swords outstretched, attempting to blast the remaining miasma with a powerful whirlwind, to send it skyward if possible.

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The powerful pink arrow streaks in cuts straight through the cowl and skin of Madoka's chosen target, hitting it in the spin and shattering the creature into bizarre, rectangular bits. When Sayaka's sword cuts through the bones of another Wraith and dissolves it the pink-haired Puella shouts, "Great job, Sayaka-chan!" Her small frown for the first time turns into a small smile, and then as Homura's sniper shots hit one of their heads and has the same effect it widens.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If the head is the weak point of a Wraith, she has just the ticket. "Homura-chan, cover me!" she calls as the lasers come for her again. This time she doesn't attempt to dodge so much as make sure her Soul Gem isn't in the path of one of the rays, intending to simply take one that's going to go straight through her stomach- when instead it's deflected or absorbed by Kunzite's barrier. Though thankful for the assistance she's too focused on her task to reply just yet. She pulls back the string on her bow and another large arrow flashes into existence on it, the flower atop her bow blooming and the twigs uncurling as a large pink flame wafts.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's intent on ending this attack now, and though her Grief Seed supply is getting low she feels it's worth the cost. All at once she draws the bowstring back further and leans back. With a "Hup!" the arrow streaks skyward, hitting an invisible barrier that lights up as an array of angular lines and concentric circles. Then the arrows begin to come down, raining heavily over the area streaking down directly from above, ten homing arrows each shooting down towards the top of each remaining Wraith's head. Madoka is not messing around today.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And over there, up on the rooftop? Six arrows head that direction as well, but rather than aiming for a target they slam into the roof and remain upright, penning in the grinning, gray eye'd creature with no room to move whatsoever. He may even end up speared through the tail, if he's not still.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, Nyubey, she heard that.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>''There's'' Kyouko. Kunzite permits himself a trace of a smile. "They're fine. Not here." Just him; no other outside reinforcements. On the other hand, no other outsiders who might step into the way of one Puella or another's attacks, and no other attacks to watch for out of the darkness. A minimum of friendly fire.<br /><br />Madoka's called for Homura -- he concentrates on Sayaka. She's moving fast enough now that there's only a little he can do for her, without risking blocking her swords. He can keep any closing in behind her from using their howls to full effect, but at best he can give her partial cover. That's better than nothing.<br /><br />And when Madoka's arrows flower outward, when Sayaka calls her whirlwind ... that trace of a smile widens.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If you aren't lying to us then what the heck is going on?" demands Homura. She actually believes it when Kyubey says he doesn't lie. He never has before. It confused her when he started to. "You certainly sounded malicious the last time we spoke. This is completely different than what you said bef---"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then another Kyubey appears, and Homura's eyes widen. An inferior prototype? Homura frowns. It's only now, for the first time, that she notices the differences between the two Kyubeys. This 'new' one seems to have grey eyes. How... curious. There's another change that Homura notices: Kyubey has always been alien, and from a culture vastly superior in terms of technology and knowledge, yet Kyubey has never, to Homura's knowledge, ever rubbed anyone's face in it by calling them 'inferior'.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This only raises more questions! Questions that Homura doesn't exactly have time to ask right now... but what if she doesn't get another chance?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Prototype? What do you mean by that?" As much as Homura hates to admit it, she actually does prefer the Kyubey she knows to the Nyubey she doesn't.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well I guess in a way it makes sense. Considering we're all still alive and reasonably pretty happy," Well Homura and Madoka are at least. "it's hard to believe that karma is balancing out like it normally does. Is that's what's happening here? Is this some form of cosmic retaliation?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka asks some very good questions, and unfortunately Homura doesn't have an answer. "It's hard to believe that they're Witches when they don't hide in a Labyrinth, regardless of how much they feel like one. We might figure it out if we just keep fighting them."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura is doing a lot of talking, in between shots. Noticing that headshots and spine shots seem to be working, she aims at those specifically. Her technique is slow and methodical, but it also minimizes friendly fire and allows her to have a long needed conversation with Kyubey.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which is probably why neither of the Kyubeys are getting shot right now. Homura does want to talk.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Madoka asks for her support, and Homura does provide it. She spends less time talking and more time aiming and shooting, making sure to target the Wraiths that turn their attention towards Madoka, rapidly firing rather than trying to think of questions to ask.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She cracks a smile upon seeing Nyubey trapped in arrows, or at least in seeing the attempt made.

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's not a whole lot of the creatures left, not with all four Puella Magi in differing states of bearing down on them. Swords cut them down - spears impale them - arrows puncture them - and bullets leave great holes.<br /><br />The Miasma is already starting to clear through sheer attrition as Sayaka's Typhoon begins to swirl up the clouds. And with it, the creatures start to congregate around the whirlwind - which just makes them easier targets, for now. There's also small black cubes being whipped around by the wind.<br /><br />And grouped up like that, the arrows that rain down find an easier time handling the rest, and so, punctured, the last of them shatter and with it, the miasma leaves. Once Sayaka's wind is over, there's a scattering of a dozen or so small black cubes littering the ground.<br /><br />Kyubey tilts his head at Nyubey and just regards him with an odd disdain. "A defective copy." is all he says before he turns to the girls. "Those cubes, they seem to radiate a little bit like Grief Seeds. Not with the same strength, but there's more of them." he says, stretching out and lazing on the edge of the building to watch the goings-on.

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nyubey, on the other hand, is fenced in by the arrows. He paces around in the little makeshift cage, then sits down to scratch an ear with a hind leg. "Your lack of emotion leads you to be unable to achieve what you want." he says, still focused on Kyubey, and when Kyubey calls him a defective copy, he arches his back and hisses like an alien cat.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko hurls her spear overhand, red light flaring around it as it flashes like a crimson lightning bolt to take another Wraith through the head.. after which point it simply vanishes, re-appearing in her hand where she stands on the ground near Kunzite. She whirls to throw again, but it seems like it isn't necessary.. Sayaka whips up a typhoon to clear the Miasma, which has the side-effect of grouping up the remaining Wraiths.. and Madoka's rain of arrows does the rest. Kyouko stands down- she's always been better at single-target combat than AoE, so in this case she's grateful for the help.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She glances at Kunzite. "You alright, nii-chan?" She asks, walking over to him, and once ascertaining that this seems to be the case, she turns her gaze up to the nearby rooftop where Kyubey, Nyubey, and Homura are. "I think it's time we sorted some things out, huh?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She starts to walk back in that direction when she nearly kicks one of the black cubes. Frowning, she nudges it with her toe, then kicks it up to catch it in her hand, examining it. It ''does'' feel sort of like a Grief Seed.. sort of.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pocketing it, she leaps up to the rooftop. Once there, she grins to Sayaka. "Nice job, Saya-chan." She says, reaching out to grip the blue-haired girl's shoulder, before striding over to where the two white rats and Homura are. "So, somebody wanna fill me in?"

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka arches a brow at Homura's comment. "Really? Makes sense? Whole thing is messed up! And there's not a damn thing we can do, as long as innocent lives are in danger, we just keep answering the call, wasting energy. It's not like Kyubey or his little friend over there are gonna help us" But she can hardly stop trying to help people either. Kyubey is given a curious glance as he calls one of his own defective. "Really? You're bashing one of your own? Why?" Ugh, What a mess.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is relieved to see the wraiths arent invincible however. Hit 'em in the right place and they start goin' down like dominos. "Lets just get this over with quickly so we can find a better solution.." Sayaka's still tempted to kill those two cat aliens though; She's certain they have nothing of use left to say. But the remaining wraiths keep her busy and she continues to spin around, slicing through as many as she can..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then suddenly they're all gone, and she breathes a sigh of relief. Spotting the black cubes that fall, she aches a brow, as Kyubey explains what they are. "WaitWhy would you be helping us?" Is this part of his grand plan? Even so, if he's right, then there's a bit of hope. She scrambles to gather up as many cubes as she can, while saving enough for the others. "Guess we'll see.." she murmurs.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Glancing over at Kyouko, she smiles and nods. "Same to you.."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Fine," Kunzite answers Kyouko. "They weren't after me." Not a Puella. Not attacking -- Puella ''move'' in combat, the way that people only learn to when neither the ground nor the laws of physics can be trusted to be safe, and the last thing Kunzite wanted to do was put an energy beam in a place one of the girls thought would be safe. Nothing to drag the creatures' attention to him, instead of their extant victims, instead of the warriors putting them down.<br /><br />And not mistaken for a wraith. He leaves his cape as it is, inverted, just to keep it from being a flash of white in the corner of an eye still tuned to combat.<br /><br />And he risks following Kyouko anyhow, arriving on that rooftop in her wake. If it's Puella business, he can leave. But there's something he thought he saw...<br /><br />... and he did. Eyes flicker from one lithe little alien form to another; he drops into a crouch, studying the one Madoka entrapped within her arrows. "''You're'' the one that was keeping company with Lacrima, aren't you," he muses aloud to the gray-eyed creature. His own eyes narrow. "I wonder. Did Riventon put a splinter of himself in you, too?"

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka lets out a sigh of relief as the last of the Wraiths is dispatched, running the back of her gloved hand over her forehead. "Great job, everyone! Is anyone hurt?" She doesn't think so since the two defensively minded mahou did a pretty good job of keeping them all safe, but she's still going to check. Speaking of, she flashes a bright smile over to Kunzite, though doesn't thank him verbally for the assist; he knows what he did and she considers that a man of few words might need few in return. Homura is given a quick but warm hug and a small whisper before wandering away.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She scoops up a trio of the cubes that get tossed about as Kyubey mentions them, though for now simply pockets them like Kyouko. She'd like to see of his intuition is right, but right now she has concerns other than cleansing her Soul Gem.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That is to walk over and check on the people the Wraiths seemed to be attacking, asking if they're okay and trying not to be act like too much of a weirdo in a cosplay outfit about it. Luckily she's had a lot of practice having a natural and easygoing bedside manner while volunteering a the Hospital. A ''lot''.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She'll let others, Homura especially, deal with Nyubey, but for now that cage of arrows is staying in place. She's not letting the grey eyed knockoff Kyubey go, if she can help it.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura hears the word 'Grief Seed' and immediately she's gone. She's not afraid to use timestop to snipe these things. She doesn't take all of them, or even most of them, but she picks up enough to make sure that Madoka and herself get their fair share. That's why roughly half of the black cubes suddenly vanish. Roughly, because Homura isn't the only one grabbing, and she did take stock to make sure that she and her partner get an equal share and no more. Which, all things considered, means that notices Madoka grabbing three and so Homura grabs three of her own <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When timestop ends, she's right back with the two Kyubeys, if maybe not in the exact same spot. She isn't hiding the fact that she stopped time so much as she is making sure that she's still witnessing and participating in this conversation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You've mentioned, Kyubey, in previous timelines that when your people have emotions, you consider it a mental disorder. Considering current company, I'm starting to see why you'd reach that conclusion." Homura isn't above passive aggression or thinly veiled insults, no. She's assuming that this one is a crazy Kyubey. It never occurs to her that she might be wrong until Kunzite speaks up. "Wait... what? Are you saying that Riventon's behind this?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No, it can't be that simple. She'd believe that Riventon would try to kill Homura, since he has tried that before, but she still can't accept the idea that he'd try to kill Madoka along with her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Sayaka, after giving her some time to finish her part of the fight and return to the group, Homura says, "I only mean that it makes sense from a metaphysical point of view, considering what we've heard before. I don't deny the inherent problems in our situation."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Back to Nyubey, she narrows her eyes. "I think I've had just about enough of you. Hey, Kyubey, if we shoot this one, is he going to have other bodies he can use?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka's hug and whisper prevents her from being too angsty about it, and even earns a shorter whisper in return. Homura watches as her partner goes off to check on the potential victims, but her attention soon goes back to the conversation at hand.

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kyubey stretches. "I really don't know how that one works. I know he's not like me. Artifical. Created using me as a template but with added things that make him a lot less... stable. I believe he acts even more differently than I would, were I to come down with the disorder of emotions."<br /><br />"Yes, Riventon is the human behind this. I believe he spent enough time in close proximity to me to develop this... thing." he says. Even Kyubey isn't entirely able to nullify all disdain, though likely some of it comes from finding it to be 'defective'. "It doesn't follow the code I do. I don't know all of what it's capable of, but I do know it's lied, in particular around the nature of what's going on here."

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nyubey huffs. "Your refusal to lie is a weakness. And you knew the end of the current Puella Magi was a plausible possibility of what you're doing right now." Nyubey says, the difference in tone, the sheer hostility of this particular white rat towards the other one blatantly obvious.<br /><br />"The fact that I saw fit to warn them your plan might cause their demise doesn't mean your plan wouldn't. I just... thought they should know about the side effects." he says, with that half-grin on his odd face.<br /><br />"And I'm only here because I choose to be. I can slip away in a moment. You wouldn't want to kill me, anyways. That would make Lacrima-san sad, and would probably just cause Riventon to make more like me in response. You're probably safest to only have one of me, don't you think?" it asks.<br /><br />Then it turns to Kunzite. "Well, it's not like that prototype over there exactly has a functional soul to build something around, is it?"

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko frowns as she listens to everything being said around her, taking a moment to process it before finding words to express the jumble of thoughts tumbling through her brain. "Wait wait. Lemme lay this out."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns to Kyubey. "You ''are'' the one who made there be no more Witches."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she turns to Nyubey. "But ''you're'' the one who said it was to kill us? And that was a lie?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns back to the real Kyubey. "So, you ''weren't'' trying to kill us? You were just being an inconsiderate asshole?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns back to Nyubey again. "And ''Riventon'' made you," she looks at Kunzite, "by copying Kyubey and using a piece of his own soul?" That would explain why she has seen 'Kyubey' with Riventon the time they had fought.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She reaches up and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Kamisama have mercy, what a clustereff." She sighs, and finally looks back to Kyubey. "So, tell me this, then. What ''were'' you trying to accomplish by cutting off all the Witches? And are these.." She fishes the cube out of her pocket and holds it up. "Gonna be able to replace Grief Seeds, or are you just leadin' us on again?"

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, it seems the fight is over for now, and Sayaka relaxes. If Kyubey is telling the truth, then these cubes will keep her going a bit longer. "So, are these your replacement for grief seeds? Are you the one who created these wraiths, then?" she asks suspiciously, before peering curiously at Kunzite when he mentions Nyubey. "Wait, what? A sliver of Riventon.?" gritting her teeth, Sayaka storms towards Nyubey, sword at the ready. "I've heard enough. Answer me that one question, what is your purpose in all of this!?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Madoka checks on the victims. From where she's standing, Sayaka hesitates, then decides to glance over the remaining people but does not advance, looking for any obvious signs of distress.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyubey explains a bit more, confirming Riventon's behind thisBut why? "Dammit, what's he up to? is this just another one of his dumb experients?" Saya is still totally confused, trying to figure it out as Kyouko points out what they're both guilty of. "And these cubesWhat are the side effects of these?" Glancing a Kyuouko she nods in echo to her question. Was Madoka's purifying ability slowing down the witching or was it something else? She's eager to know the grand scheme as well..

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So Kyubey doesn't know... Homura frowns at the grey-eyed creature. She usually doesn't side with Kyubey but in this particular case...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So it's a case of mistaken identity." Homura thinks back. "Well actually, I did shoot the one who first threatened us, and lied to us. So it must have its own set of bodies to use." So killing this one isn't going to be the end of things. It also implies that this one is lying to them right now. "There was clearly more than one of you when we saw you last, so I don't know what kind of fast one you're trying to pull."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She shakes her head. "These Nullhearts are getting out of hand. While you can say you warned us about the side effects, the fact remains that you made it a threat, and you intentionally lied to create friction between us and Kyubey, and also between us Puella Magi. That's not something I can easily excuse."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko asks some good questions, and Homura frowns. She holds up one of her cubes against her Soul Gem. A trickle of darkness flows from her Soul Gem to the Grief Cube. It's working, but it's not nearly as fast as what they're used to. "It works, but at this rate I wouldn't recommend trying to use it in combat. Saving our Grief Seeds for emergencies, and then using these... Grief Cubes when we can out of combat, that might be the current best strategy."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She removes her Soul Gem from the back of her hand, and places it on the ground. Then she places her three Grief Cubes in a triangle around it. She purses her lips thoughtfully as she observes the results. "It looks like we can use more than one at a time. That might speed things up a bit."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the Grief Cubes stops draining, and Homura inspects it. It looks full. She flicks it towards Kyubey. The real one. "Catch."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Madoka's bright smile is visible even in the dark, and is answered with a nod of Kunzite's head -- likewise visible, courtesy that white hair. He doesn't try to touch the cubes, doesn't even try to look at them too closely. Those ''are'' Puella business. So is Nyubey's fate; he watches the thing, studies its reactions and those of its original, but he doesn't stir to intercept Sayaka or try to dissuade Homura.<br /><br />Apparently the possibility of making Lacrima sad doesn't worry him too much.<br /><br />Homura placing her Soul Gem on the ground, away from her hold, makes more of an impact; his expression doesn't change, but it's enough to pull his attention slightly off Nyubey. Slightly. Very slightly. One hand lifts a trifle, as if to ready a response; but whatever he's guarding against doesn't seem to manifest immediately, and certainly it's none of the other Puella he's watching.

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka is going from person to person that was affected by the Wraiths as the others talk to Kyubey and Nyubey, talking to them and inquiring about their health. It doesn't take long for her to come up with a cover story about taking a survey of people's health and well being while they're out and about at night. Technically it's true! Just very localized.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eventually she returns to the others, hopping up to the rooftop and landing nearby. "Everybody seems to be okay. Well... mostly." She turns her pink eyes down to the people below with a look of worry on her face, "They all seemed..." she struggles with words, "not tired... but listless. When I asked what they were out to do some of them decided it wasn't worth it and went home, and one of the others decided to go drinking, instead." She looks mildly embarrassed at that fact.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A soft shake of her head, "Whatever those things were doing, I think it could have been a lot worse. Do you have any ideas on what they were trying to accomplish, Kyubey?"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka turns her gaze to the red-eyed alien, seeming to be willing enough to trust him at least a little bit for the time being. Then those eyes lid slightly as they regard the grey-eyed liar. "I remember when you threatened us. I missed something, those others that were with you, their eyes were red, weren't they? It was only yours who weren't. I don't know how I missed it." She looks to Homura, then Kyouko, then Sayaka, and finally back to Kyubey, "...do you want it?" Not him, 'it'. "I'm not sure we have a use for it's lies, but you might be able to discover how this happened. And maybe make sure it never happens again?"

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kyubey shakes his head. "I'm not responsible for them - not in the direct sense. They're not like Witches, if you mean that. I think they're the manifestations of humanity's curses though." he says, providing the information for once directly.<br /><br />"Just because there aren't more witches being created, that doesn't mean humanity doesn't suffer from curses. It doesn't mean there's not a karmic debt to be paid." The 'hatch' symbol on Kyubey's back opens up and he does a jumping flip to eat the used cube flicked at him.<br /><br />"I think these creatures are the manifestations of that debt yet to be paid, the curses yet to be suffered through. Even without new Puella Magi - with the defeat of Walpurignacht before it could accomplish its purpose, there's still a large debt owed the universe for wishes already made."

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>On the rooftop - the whole rooftop - that Nyubey is trapped in, suddenly into existence begins to surge a massive Mid-childan magical circle - in Riventon/Takashi's colors. Everyone here, having engaged him before, likely has a chance to recognize it and attempt to move, even before the runes darken as the circle fills with negative energy below, before surging upwards in a massive column, a roaring pillar of black energy tearing into the sky<br /><br />It's during the release of energy that Riventon appears, scooping Nyubey up until the little creature rests on his shoulders. "You're a lot of trouble sometimes." he says to it as the energy surge ends. He turns on his heel to regard the Puella Magi and Kyubey, but doesn't say anything, though his glance might linger on Madoka for a little longer than the others.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko narrows her eyes slightly at Kyubey. "So, yer sayin' this is ''our'' fault? Cuz we made Wishes, and got miracles, but we're not turning into Witches fast enough, the universe up and made those.. Wraith things, as a way of keeping balance?" She sighs, shaking her head. "Nothin's ever like it says on the tin, is it? As if I didn't have enough to feel guilty about."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She watches Homura's experiment with the cubes, twisting her lips to the side in consideration. "Well.. at least that's a minor blessin' to come out of it." More than minor really, but she's not in an exceedingly cheerful mood, all of a sudden. She glances around.. the only picked up one of the cubes. She'll have to go see if she can find a few more before she leaves.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But she's not done with questioning Kyubey yet. She turns back to him, scowling. "So, what made you decide to pull this stunt anyway? So you weren't tryin' to kill us. Fine. But why ''did'' you mess with the system, then? And what do you mean by Walpurgisnacht's ''purpose''?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Riventon himself appears.. causing Kyouko to take a few steps back (putting herself between him and Sayaka, as coincidence would have it.) She bares a fang as she snarls, "Mighty nice of you to show up just when we were lookin' for an ass to kick on account of all this."

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka had also noticed how the victims seemed affected emotionally. Strange"Wait, so were these wraiths sent by Riventon, with Nyubey here to oversee it?" she growls angrily, but stops herself from killing Nyubey. He's right, Riventon will just send more. Looks like she'll have to take her battle to the source. "LIke we didnt have enough trouble with the missing witchesNow Riventon's causing trouble too? Guess I'll have to pay him a visit!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;However, it seems the wraiths are the result of another curse instead? "well that's just great..So we can never break the curse, only change it?!" then Riventon appears and she snarls, "Riventon! What's the meaning of Nyubey? We have enough problems as is!" her sword comes out again; she has no reason to not attack him..

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura sees Riventon, and she sees her chance to say to him what she's been meaning to. Yet, everything is wrong. She wanted to speak with him alone... but she might not get another chance.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She scoops up her own soul gem the moment she sees that familiar magical circle, and she places it back on her hand just under her shield. The two remaining cubes get tossed into her shield, and she slowly takes a couple of steps towards him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"How dare you." She says. She might not even have time to say everything she's thinking right now, so she's blurting it out as it comes.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You talk so much about how much you cared about Madoka-chan, but now I see you... not only ''cooperating'' with that thing..." she gestures towards Nyubey, "But now it's come to light that you've ''created'' the thing that threatens to kill us? What the hell is wrong with you? I could understand doing that to ''me'', but doing it to Madoka-chan, too? How could you?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another step forward. "You know what happens to us when we don't get Grief Seeds, right?" Takashi might know a different story than the rest of them, do. "We die." Homura opts for the half-truth this time. "Madoka-chan will die if she doesn't get Grief Seeds, and ''you'' cooperated with denying her them! How can you explain yourself there? Didn't you know something so simple? How could you seriously go through with it?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It may sound as if Homura were trying to disprove his feelings somehow... but that's actually not the case. She wants him to doubt what he's doing, maybe enough to try to do something counter to it, and this seems like the best way to go about it. It doesn't escape her notice that he has a perfect chance to explain his point of view.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The circle glares -- but Homura's already moving. The gem's safe. Good. Kunzite's still crouched down, it's harder for him to maneuver; he pushes himself back, off the edge of the roof --<br /><br />Catches himself in one of his own shields, straightening up within a hovering sphere of darkness. This isn't his fight to pick; time to see what the Puella do.<br /><br />But there's no reason he can't also stand there as a reminder to Riventon that anything he says or does right now, Mercury is likely to hear about.

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka listens to Kyubey as he speaks, nodding lightly and frowning at the mention of humanity's curses, and the mention of the cost that comes alongside their Wishes; costs they were never told about before they were made. Because of course they weren't.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko is on point, and asks exactly the question she was wondering, the one about Walpurgisnacht, so rather than asking about it herself she nods and looks to Kyubey for answers.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's when the Midchildan circle in Riventon's colors appears, and she's forced to jump away as the darkness begins to collect. She returns to the rooftop from another nearby one almost immediately however, landing next to Sayaka and putting a hand on her friends shoulder. "Now isn't the time," she whispers. If Sayaka tries to charge him she might find Madoka's grip can go from gentle to pretty strong really fast.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks Homura as she speaks, and then to Riventon. The look she gives him is a strange one, frustration and hurt mixed with worry and sympathy. When her eyes go flick to Nyubey the nicer parts evaporate however. She looks back to Riventon afterwards. "Riventon. ...Takashi-kun. You should be careful with that. You might have created the single least trustworthy creature in the entire universe."

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kyubey shakes his head, then rolls over upside-down, pawing at the air. "You know that Puella Magi bring hope and light, and that Witches bring darkness and despair. When a Puella Magi becomes a witch, they strike out at those around them, bringing despair in equal measure to the hope they once brought."<br /><br />"When a Witch is destroyed before bringing enough despair to equal the hope, that leaves a debt to the universe, don't you think?" Kyubey stares at the girls thorugh his red eyes, upside-down. "Walpurignacht wasn't a witch. Walpurignacht was a law. A universal rule. A debt collector, if you like. All of that despair owed to balance things out - Walpurgisnacht game to collect."<br /><br />"So without it around, the universe is still out of balance. I wanted to see, even if I created no more Puella Magi, if the universe would still seek to even out imbalance. It seems these creatures are the universe's next debt collectors."<br /><br />"It seems that the universe itself is willing to wage war against the Puella Magi trying to avoid the results of thier actions." he says, eyes unblinking.

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riventon narrows his eyes. "Then kick your own ass. I'm not the one who upset the balance of the universe by making a wish." Riventon, of course, upsets the balance of the universe in entirely ''different'' ways. "Hell, if what the other ferret says is right, kicking my ass wouldn't do you a damn bit of good."<br /><br />"The meaning of Nyubey?" he says, looking at Sayaka and laughing as he reaches into his lab coat and pulls out... some kind of pet food pellet, which he passes to Nyubey, who devours it with aggression. "I wanted to know what Kyubey would be like if he had emotions. The fact that Lacrima-chan found him adorable was bonus points, really. The fact that he upset you all - well, I didn't tell him to do all of that. He wasn't carrying out my agenda, there."<br /><br />Then Riventon sneers a bit. "Possibly, it's much like the issue with Jupiter, where Nyubey's words carry a truth that the mold he was cut from won't say, but feels, even if he can't admit or act on it." Riventon looks at Kyubey, then at Homura. "Besides, I'm not even working with the little fuzzball. Not directly. That's not my department. Sometimes they just ask for help with this or that. Don't assume I'm complicit in everything Eclipse does."<br /><br />"Speaking of, anybody want to cough up that jewel Cassandra-san was looking for? Or tell me who took it? I won't even try to contest these Dark Sugar Cubes for the near future, if you do."<br /><br />Then, at Madoka's words, he reaches up and... scratches behind Nyubey's ears. "Just because he tricked you doesn't make him worse than the one across the rooftops. At least with Nyubey you know where you stand." he says, making it clear that Riventon doesn't trust Kyubey. But when he starts talking of Puella Magi and witches, Riventon doesn't react as though he's shocked or surprised. He either knew the situation, or he is good at hiding surprise.

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko glances to Sayaka as the blue-haired girl echoes her desire to give Riventon a good punching for all of the trouble he's caused them lately. She might have gone ahead with it too.. except that Homura is suddenly striding forward, and giving Riventon a piece of her mind. She relaxes somewhat.. not because her desire to stab Riventon is any less, but because she recognizes that Homura seems to have a prior claim, on behalf of Madoka, and she'll wait to see what the dark-haired girl does. She can always find and stab Riventon later.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She glances down at Kyubey as he offers his explanation. "So, essentially, you put us through a whole lot of stress and grief the past few weeks in order to confirm a theory ''just for the hell of it''?" She looks a little upset about that, but by this point, she knows yelling at Kyubey about it will accomplish about as much as telling Dog not to jump on her when she gets home.

:'''{{#var:7|Puella Magi Sayaka| (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka sighs, "SoThese new wraiths replace the witches..And Madoka's purifying ability is what kept more witches from forming? Annnd." she peers, no glares, at Riventon and his little 'pet', "You were just experimenting with emotions? You really do disgust me!" And then she rushes at him and tries to punch him in the face. "This isn't a damn game and we're not just lab rats! And if I knew who this Cassandra is or the jewel she carries, I wouldn't give it to you anyway!!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But, with these grief cubes, there is some hope, although they seem less powerful than the seeds. She'll have to look up Cassandra, whoever that is, and maybe check in with Miss White and see if she can make more synthetic grief seeds.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ugh, I dont have time for thisI'm outta here!" and with a huff, Sayaka leaps off, to ponder her own problems alone..

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I don't have it," says Homura plainly and frankly, in regard to the gem. "I don't even know the person who took it. Wasn't your vampire friend there? Why don't you ask her?" It's an honest reply. Homura doesn't know Nicola that well, and that's the last person she saw with it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura looks at Riventon, frowning. This isn't the circumstances she wanted to have this confrontation in. She was kind of hoping for more than that, but she already knew that she wouldn't get immediate results. Anything she could say about Madoka being in danger would be nullified by the existence of the Wraiths.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She considers his words, about whether or not he was complicit or how much. "Well, it's not like I really believe you, but it's also not like I don't know what it's like working for Eclipse. After all, I'm ''pretty sure'' you'd ''never'' do anything that'd hurt someone like Madoka-chan, would you?" Again, she assumes he's too prideful to actually show any weakness there, but the fact that he backed away from involvement in this latest plan proves something in of itself.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She glances at the Grief Cubes, a few lying around that Kyouko probably has the most claim to, and then at Riventon. "I was wrong about you, in so many ways, and in other ways I was more right about you than I ever imagined. I'd offer to stay out of your way if you stayed out of mine, but I think we both know that's not going to happen. The people you'd hurt in your experiments are the people I'm going to protect, and that's just the way of it."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she turns her back on Riventon, which might be a stupid move, but Madoka is right here to witness whatever he might do. She slowly starts to walk away. Whatever violence or anger she might want to take out on him, she's clearly not intending to do it now. It's not worth her time.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite's been keeping silent. But there's one item in Riventon's list that he stirs himself to answer. A crease shows for a moment at the corner of one eye. "I suppose that 'Jupiter is capable of displaying maturity' counts as a truth, if perhaps not the one you were thinking of."<br /><br />-- and then Sayaka is moving. But Madoka has Sayaka. ''Madoka'' has Sayaka. That keeps Kunzite from having to show his hand -- the decision of what he'd do if Sayaka went after Riventon was made some time ago, but there's no particular need to demonstrate it at this moment. Not just now. Probably soon, but not now.

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka is a very trusting and forgiving person. She's an optimist that sees the best in people, but that doesn't make her blind their faults. Which is why the moment Sayaka tries to rush at Riventon and start a fight that is only going to cause a problem the hand on her friends shoulder tightens, and she reaches across the blue-haired girl's body to restrain her. Given that she was a going for a punch rather than a stab it's probably easier to hold her back, though Madoka might have to dig her pretty red heels in a bit.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though she knows Sayaka might be mad at her later she lets out a sigh and lets the angry Puella leave, watching after her as she jumps off into the night, white cape flowing out behind her. "Sayaka-chan..."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She lets Homura hash things out with Riventon, though it seems the dark energy wielding magical boy isn't in the mood for conversations so much as acting pithy. After the dark haired girl says her piece and turns around, Madoka takes a step closer. Her bow isn't in evidence and her expression is more worried than threatening. "...that goes for me to. If you are hurting people as Riventon, I can't aside and let them be hurt. But..." she shakes her head softly, eyes closing, "that doesn't mean I'll be trying to hurt you, only stop you from hurting people. I won't try to come after you in your daily life either."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks genuinely confused, unsure of what exactly the right thing to be doing is, which is a strange position for her to be in; she's usually very sure. "All those things you told me were true, weren't they? About wanting to do the best, be the best for your mother? I can't hold it against you if that's the case, but I do have hope you can find a new way to see what 'being the best' means."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She breaks eye contact, half turning away, "Finding out the person who terrified me and tried to hurt my friends was the same person who danced with me and had fun with me and kissed me hurt me a lot, Takashi-kun. But that doesn't mean I have to hate you for it. I just hope you don't do anything that does, now that I know the truth."

:'''{{#var:119|Kyubey| (119)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kyubey looks on. "Humans are strange." he intones, and rolls over to his feet. "I'll be trying to talk to you in the coming days, Puella Magi. If you don't shoot first." Then he dips behind a small air conditioning unit and vanishes.

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riventon sneers at Sayaka. "That attitude is going to do you far more harm than it does me, caped hero." he says, giving her far less kindness than Madoka, and less respect than Homura. And he doesn't try to fight her as she leaves. With Kyouko's current ire pointed that the retreating Kyubey, this leaves him to face the pink and purple Puella Magi.<br /><br />"Ah, it's sometimes easy for me to forget you were working with Miss White, but that's a good point. It'd be rather unfair for someone to blame you for everything I did while you were there, too. Now, if you want to talk about someone who's working closely on this project - and with the red-eyed ferret - your old boss is someone you might want to look in more than me. I am, after all, just a researcher, and she's shown so much more interest in your conditions than I have, hasn't she?"<br /><br />"Homura Akemi, the people we seek to protect aren't so different. In fact, I'd wager I want to protect more people than you do. But I think you also know something - more than most of your friends - about what protecting people can cost. Both to yourself, and to others."<br /><br />"Jupiter both impressed and dissapointed me in that little adventure." Riventon says to Kunzite. His eye's no longer black, though you can see the tint if you look. "A word of advice: keep your focus on your own soul, not what I do with mine. Don't make me regret helping with the equation that brought you into the body you stand before me in now, even after you nearly killed her."<br /><br />Dealing with Madoka is harder, and in a way, Riventon reacts to this by being softer. "Fewer people would be hurt if others didn't choose to stand in my way. When an experiment is wrecked, I have to replace it. When energy is burned it has to come back from somewhere. The safest thing to do is allow me to solve these problems - but I don't believe that'll happen."<br /><br />"All those things were true, yes. That's how I got this power. I have to use it in a way that'll make her sacrifice worthwhile." he says, outstretching his hand, generating a ball of negative energy that whirls around him before dissapating harmlessly.<br /><br />"I've never hurt you, Madoka, even though you've attacked me, but if you keep standing against me, I don't think that can last."

:'''{{#var:78|Kyouko Sakura| (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyouko gives a bit of a scowl as Homura says her piece and then turns away from Riventon- she's not sure she approves of this newer, less-violent Homura. Of course, it's not her approval that Homura is trying to win (or keep), and the person in question is the one currently holding Sayaka back from doing what Kyouko would like to do, which really just brings everything full-circle.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still, it appears there will be no group ass-kicking here today, more's the pity, and as Sayaka turns and storms off, Kyouko takes an involuntary step after her. "Saya-chan-" She then pauses, glancing back. She needs to grab those cubes- she has Momo to think about in addition to herself and Sayaka.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's vaugely aware of Riventon speechifying, but none of what he's saying has direct relevance to her so she sort of tunes it out to this 'buzz buzz' in the background, but at his last words, she turns and snaps, "I already got enough reasons to beat your ass, kid. Don't gimme one more." But it's been made clear this isn't the time, so she turns away and walks over to Kunzite.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thanks for your help, nii-chan." She tells him in a low voice. "I gotta get back before Momo wakes up, but I'll stop by tomorrow." Then she's moving past and leaping down. A few more cubes are snatched up, and then she's bounding away across the rooftops in pursuit of the fleeing Sayaka, and then back to her apartment.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Homura overhears Madoka talking to Riventon, she takes a few more steps further away, then stops. Whatever they're going to say, she wants them to say it, and while it would be a huge stretch to say that Homura trusts Riventon for anything, she ''does'' trust that Madoka can trust him. To an extent that includes Riventon not randomly attacking Madoka, anyways.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyubey excuses himself, and Homura says, "I wouldn't say that things were completely better between us, but you know where to find me if you have something to say." She apparently doesn't really intend to shoot Kyubey on sight next time. If she was going to, she would have done it already.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Riventon is talking to her for real. Not just snide bullcrap but his actual thoughts. She recognizes this side of him. She saw it before, when he pulled her aside to try and talk things over with her. She completely spurned him then, because she was immature and because he was an unknown threat, but now he's a known one.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's not that I ''completely'' disagree with your ends..." Homura tilts her head and looks over her shoulder, glancing sideways at Takashi. "I do think that the world needs to be fixed, and I don't expect that will come easily. However, I also think that the people in this universe are maybe taking its kindnesses for granted. After all... the universe I saw before this one..." Her eyes narrow. "... was a lot more broken, and with no hope of fixing it."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She decides to turn back around, to face him, since he has decided not to leave right away. Even if she had nothing left to say, she would stay here to look after Madoka.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well? We aren't staying in your way right now, and we aren't attacking you, either. We even spared that little copy you made."

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I understand. If someone is going to get in your way of doing what you thing is right you're going to try and make them stop. Even if you're wrong." Because at the end of the day Madoka does think it's wrong; of course she does. Going around hurting people on purpose and stealing energy from them, or worse, couldn't possibly be the right way of doing things.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka shakes her head, looking back at him, "Fighting each other over what we think is right and wrong though, that isn't the same as trying to kill each other. It isn't the same as trying to kill my friends either," a pointed look to Homura. "If you don't already know it, I would never try to hurt people I knew you cared about. I'm not asking you not to fight us seriously if that's what it comes to, but I am asking you not to try to hurt me or my friends when we're doing things that don't have anything to do with you, and especially not when we're asleep in our homes."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighs again before offering Riventon a small smile, keeping her gaze off of Nyubey, because that thing seriously creeps her out. "You might be Riventon, but you're still Takashi-kun; you always were. I ...still care about you, and worry about you." Not to say that she isn't mad at him, but she's always been good at overlooking such things. Some would say to a fault. "I'd rather I never had to fight you at all, but even if I do... that doesn't mean I stopped caring, or that I don't want to be your friend."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kyouko's lower words win a nod back from Kunzite -- as if to indicate that whenever she stops by, he'll be there. Riventon's words do not win such a gesture. Only a response, in that usual neutral and conversational tone. "Is it still so odd to you that others might value the health of your soul?"<br /><br />Rhetorical question, and everyone there knows it. Especially after what Madoka just said.<br /><br />Maybe he agrees with Homura on the rest, or maybe he thinks anything else he might say would be redundant with one or another of the girls' words. He lets the shadows keeping gravity from taking hold of him drift slowly back, instead. Away from the rooftop Riventon occupies.

:'''{{#var:47|Takashi Agera| (47)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riventon glares at the retreating Kyouko. "Hmph. I know which one of us I think is the real child."<br /><br />Then he turns to Homura. "The universe I see every day - the Dusk Zone - reminds me of how precious this one is." he says, calmly. "And that universe actively wants to break into our own." It's a major statement, and not one that he feels requires him to elucidate further. "It's true, you're not harming me or my project. And I'm not attacking you. Isn't it funny how that works?"<br /><br />"I've never killed anyone, and I've been dealing with my energy for 15 years. I see no reason to believe I will have to change that, as long as people don't make themselves threats to my existience or to the things I care about. But... That doesn't mean I can prevent you from being harmed if you poke your nose in where it doesn't belong." Riventon - or even, perhaps, Takashi, looks at Madoka. "I'd rather not fight you, but I'm not given that choice. And I find it difficult to be friends with people who seem so convinced that I am a monster." Of course, that's not what Madoka said - but it's not far from what other people have said recently.<br /><br />To Kunzite, he simply states. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to provide advancement and protection for all. Maybe since you understand some of the lengths I've been willing to go, you'll be more aware of how vitally important I find my work." he says. Then, when Nyubey makes a small sound, he pets the little creature.<br /><br />"I will be taking my leave now." he says, as though he can't find a better way to close out the conversation. And the bow - though incredibly slight - that he makes before he takes a backstep into the Dusk Zone is probably even more out of character than that.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The health of Takashi's soul. Does Homura care about such a thing? They're still enemies, if less intense than before. A lot less intense, at least from Homura's side, but... does that actually mean she cares?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, not directly, but there's actually one reason why Homura is better off if Takashi lives...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a timefrozen moment. Homura's gone. No, wait. Homura's hand is on Takashi's shoulder, from behind. He's in the moment with her. "You really do care, don't you? I bet if something happened to her, you might even be willing to help her. That actually makes you very useful to me, doesn't it, Agera-san? There's no point in denying the fact that we've both tried to kill each other, but as things stand now such petty fighting would be pretty counterproductive, wouldn't it?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The moment passes like a blink. Homura is standing right where she was before. Absolutely nothing just happened, and she'd deny it if questioned. No one can currently see the look on her face, turned away as she is.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The Dusk Zone. Is that where that Witch was headed? The one you altered, that tried to drag me along with it?" A place full of dark creatures. An alternate universe trying to break in. Well... if such a place exists, Homura wouldn't be surprised. Especially since she's seen brief glimpses of it so often.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Riventon's bow isn't returned, because she doubts it was meant for Homura. It was meant for Madoka, as far as she knows. When he's gone, she turns to Madoka, and the look on her face is very... conflicted. That was a conversation that she wanted to have, but not really the way in which she wanted to have it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She tries, for a few moments, to figure out what to say about this. When nothing comes, she just asks, "Ready to go? Maybe if we keep patrolling we can find more Wraiths."

:'''{{#var:8|Madoka Kaname| (8)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka smiles again when Riventon, or Takashi, or both(?), says he's never killed anyone. "Good; I'm glad. For others, but also for yourself." Her head shakes, "I'm not asking you to protect me, though I'm happy you'd think to." She frowns a little at the mention of being called a monster, "I thought Riventon was, once; but that's because I didn't know anything about him other than that he scared me. But then I got to know you,, Takashi-kun."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I know what it looks like inside of the mind of a real monster," she comments with some gravity, and just thinking about it makes her shiver involuntarily. "That's definitely not you; you have thoughts and cares and hopes and dreams- you can't be a monster. You're nothing like that. If you do things I think are bad, that just means I think you're making mistakes."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Riventon bows she returns it, and adds one final comment, "You're right, though. It is better that we're not fighting each other right now." Did he say that? Perhaps indirectly, but Madoka knows that hearing her say he's right is far from the worst thing he could hear from her last before he disappears.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns to Homura afterwards, walking over and giving the other girl a hug, this time for her own benefit as much as Homura's. After taking a moment to gather her wits back about herself she nods. "I'm ready. If there's more of those things out there we have to keep people safe from them. It looks like that's a part of our job now, too."
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