1233/Concerted Feelings.

Concerted Feelings.
Date of Scene:	04 March 2024
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	Sayaka and Madoka discuss the situation on Grief Seeds, apocalyptic visions and what Gretchen represents.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka has been looking in the Mitakihara Ward for a deserted alley in which to open her Labyrinth. Since Madoka wanted to have Gretchen look at her method of storing full Grief Seeds after she had overheard Sayaka making that request to Amy, the bluenette has been at it for a while now. Besides, she has some questions for Gretchen too, such as the full extent of her knowledge on Walpurgisnacht and whether Kyubey's surprises are over. As usual she is accompanied by Ula.

Having found that alley, Sayaka sends Madoka a message, giving her best friend her location. Not she waits it this alley, staight straight in the middle of it, yet unseen from outside that to its construction with a zone at the bottom of a slope and stairs, built there for unknown reasons.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka had been waiting for Sayaka's call for a while. Gretchen had actually been bugging her about it constantly, to the point where Madoka had simply let the dark fairy hold onto her phone while she was busy with other things. When the message finally popped up, the X-Chara immediately started tugging on Madoka's sleeve to get her attention. The pink Chara Bearer patted her Witch fairy on the head as she took the phone back.

>I'll be right there.

    A minute or so later and Hope Blossom, wearing a flossie on her head, is hopping from roof to roof, cradling Gretchen in her hands as she moves as quickly as she can. Eventually she hops down into the alleyway next to Sayaka and releases her henshin, causing her Chara's egg to float out of her, which hatches to reveal Medo. Madoka's fairies float in circles around her as she smiles to Sayaka.

    "Hi, Saya-chan! I hope I haven't kept you waiting," she says with a smile. Gretchen spots Ula and floats closer to her, offering her a chocolate chip.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Ula waves at Gretchen when she sees the X-Chara cradled between Madoka's arms and when the X-Chara approaches her with a chocolate chip, she thanks Gretchen and takes what she is offering her. All she has to give her in exchange is a topaz she polished recently, so that's what she takes out from her satchel for her.

Sayaka had read the message Madoka sent, so she is ready to greet the pinkette when she makes her appearance. "Hey, Madoka-chan!", Sayaka raises her hand as she approaches her. " I haven't been waiting for long at all, rather it's good that you found this place well."

"I imagine we should talk privately", Sayaka comments as she opens the portal of the Labyrinth next to her, blue at the border and white at the center.

In the white section, a thick C with a small sphere in its vacant space and a curved line that extends diagonally above it to the upper right and ends in a curl are visible. Inside there is a concert hall with the familiarly odd style of Labyrinths. Inside it, dhe can see two Grief Seeds and a scroll on the ground.

"Don't touch the Scroll, please, Madoka-chan", comes Sayaka's warning. "That one is the scroll that split me in two", Sayaka adds after the bluenette walks in.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen looks at the polished topaz with a smile, quietly thanks Ula, and manifests the bottom half of her eggshell. She places the gem among the various plushies and other goodies that the Witch Chara has collected before letting the shell vanish to wherever it is that Chara eggshells go.

    Madoka nods emphatically as Sayaka says they should talk alone. As far as she's aware Sayaka, Madoka and Gretchen are the only ones who really understand what it's like to be a Witch. In a way that makes them leading experts. They might be the only ones in the world with such a gift.

    Upon entering the Labyrinth, Madoka and her two Chara take a slow look around. Medo hasn't been here before, so she's actually looking at the layout of the concert hall. Gretchen has seen similar Labyrinths a lot more than once, so her focus is more upon the Grief Seeds and the scroll.

    When told what the scroll is, Madoka starts fidgeting nervously. "O-oh... it's that thing? Thanks for the warning. There are enough versions of me as it is."

    Gretchen floats closer to the Grief seeds, tiny hand on her tiny chin, hovering over them to watch them closely. "So... have either of them hatched yet? Is the plan to keep them like this?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Ula and Sayaka are used to coming and going from here by now, so the novelty of having your own pocket dimension is starting to go from "it's a cool thing" to "it's nice to have". So, the bluenette chooses to focus on Gretchen's question instead. "Not really, Kirsten's Grief Soul has been full for ten days by now, while Partenos' has been like that for 3 days."

Yes, Sayaka has indeed taken to calling them differently in private. If they have Soul Gems, it would only be fair to call them Grief Souls. They should have their own dignity. As for keeping them like this... "Leaving them on the ground is totally disgraceful, I am trying to arrange a better accomodation. At first, I thought of a bookcase, but that would make them look too much like a collection. I don't know what, I will come up with something that's better than Kyubey swallowing them via his back."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen floats around the two Grief Seeds and studies them as she listens to Sayaka's answers, as well as her reasoning. "So, you know their names. That makes sense. You're kind of like me, now. Did you read that? Can you understand what they say?"'

    Madoka tilts her head and says, "Grief Souls. You mentioned that before. I guess just calling them seeds isn't very kinds, now that we know the truth." The pinkette also walks up to the two black spherical bits of jewelry and leans over to look at them. She squats down next to them and wonders out loud, "I wonder if they were trapped in a dream state like I was... or if they experience something else. I wonder how much of them is still in there, or if they're hurting."

    Gretchen crosses her arms and floats a bit higher, moving closer to Sayaka. "If you're worried about accommodations, then personally I prefer living in a doll house. I don't know if something like that would work for them." She holds up a finger and says, "However, I gotta warn you. If two or more Witches get trapped together, it's possible that they might try to eat each other. If enough Witches die in this way, they could create a Super Witch on the scale of Walpurgisnacht. I know you want to respect their basic dignity, but if you're going to do this then I suggest you either stop them from hatching or you find some other way to keep them separate. At least until we find a better solution."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Yes, I understand them", Sayaka comments. That had been a surprise to her too. "I don't know if it's something that applies to just returning from being a Witch, or it was my particular methods, but as brief as it was, it stuck with me. I can even get Oktavia and her familiars to fight alongside me if I want. And they do follow what I say", the bluenette specifies.

"Yeah, they are fellow magical girls, Madoka-chan. They had desires, a family, they had something worth fighting for. I don't think they should be punished for wanting themselves or others to be happy", Sayaka shakes slightly with a motion of anger, before taking a deep breath and calming down.

"But Kyubey doesn't have any solution to turn them back. He even urged the others to get Oktavia killed as soon as possible, despite the fact we wanted to save her. That is enough proof to me that there are things he doesn't know, and so there has to be a way to save them out there. That's the hope I believe in now", the bluenette says, looking as hopeful and convinced as ever.

Sayaka shakes her head regarding Madoka's last comment. "I don't feel anything from them. I believe that whatever I am doing is putting a stop to them, like a sleep without dreams, or at least I hope so. So they shouldn't even be tormenting themselves in their their own hatred and despair."

Sayaka gives Gretchen a bright smile when she shares her opinion over accomodations. "Thanks, I will do that then! I will bring two for now, that should last me a while depending on the beds within, but this is definitely an improvement!"

And information over Walpurgis is given to her before she can ask it. "So, that's how she was born", Sayaka ponders. "I wonder how old she is then. Though that does explain her supposed strength. I don't intend to let them hatch though. I will just keep being an assistant to whatever saviour or saving method is out there."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka presses her finger against her cheek and looks up, wondering out loud, "I wonder if we could use that to our advantage. It's almost like a little code language that only we would understand. Well, us..." Madoka frowns, "... and also the Witches... and possibly Kyubey."

    Gretchen crosses her arms and says, "If you can control them to that degree, that's pretty impressive. My Familiars keep slacking off, but they never do that to Hope Witch." The tiny X-Chara frowns at Madoka, clearly somewhat jealous.

    Madoka holds up her hands defensively and tries to laugh it off, then turns back to Sayaka. "I think there's a lot he doesn't know, which kind of scares me a bit. It isn't just that he's doing something he knows will harm people. He's messing with something really dangerous that he doesn't understand. Still... I don't know if there's a way to turn these back into Soul Gems without some kind of soul manipulation, and even if we were able to do it we'd need a body."

    Gretchen turns back to Sayaka and adds, "If you can keep them from hatching like that indefinitely, then it's probably fine. It's the best you can do for them for the moment. I kinda wish I had thought of it, but in my mind I thought that helping them was something that only a god could do." She takes a lock of her long hair and fidgets with the tips of it. "Though... I have to say, I don't think anyone knows for certain how Walpurgisnacht herself was formed. That she came from several Witches eating each other is just an educated guess. As far as I know, she's so old that anyone who might have seen how she formed would be long dead by now."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Well, it's not like the witches can really use it to their advantage, as they are. "Kyubey is a definite concern. I don't know what he does with Grief Seeds, but there is the possibility he may not appreciate me sealing away them like this. So he may be very interested in anything we try to say between us", Sayaka remarks.

She crosses her arms as she keeps thinking of that white cat. "Do we know if he has any more secrets for us to stumble upon, or is this as far as his reach goes?"

"In exchange my familiars tax my Soul Gem, so it's not like it's all advantages here. That goes even more so for Oktavia." That does beg a question: what would happen if her Soul Gem reached full capacity? Would there be two Oktavia around? A bigger Oktavia? Good thing that now she is way more responsible and way less depressed than before. Both options sound like a disaster.

Sayaka didn't quite think about them needing a body. That sounds complicated... "Oh, I know! Maybe we just heal the Witch while she has her body, so that gets healed... No, that sounds stupid. No way it would work. This is frustrating", she complains.

"We may have to find a god then. With all these crazy things that magic has revealed exist, what's a god, really? Though, I guess we can't just expect to walk into a random club room and there they are. That would be too convenient."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods as Sayaka talks about Kyubey. "The moment he hears about that, if he hasn't already, he's probably going to try something. To be honest, I don't really know what he does with them. There are still some things we don't really know about him, but..." Madoka looks at Gretchen, to see if her X-Chara can come up with an answer.

    The false Witch fairy crosses her arms and shakes her head. "I think all of the major secrets are known right now, but I forget what's been revealed to whom. We know that Kyubey is a cutesy nickname for Incubator, and he's called that because he creates Soul Gems and then waits for the Puella Magi to become Witches. We also know that he's doing this because it creates free energy, which is important for staving off the heat death of the universe. We know that he rarely directly lies, but he omits important details all the time. Those are the relevant details, as far as I'm aware."

    Madoka nods after listening to Gretchen, and then adds, "We also know from other worlds that some Puella Magi react badly when they find out where Witches come from. People might start hunting you down. Honestly, I'm just grateful that I can't turn into a Witch and start hurting people."

    On the subject of godhood, Gretchen turns to Madoka with a frown, and then leans closer to Sayaka. Madoka gets a little awkward when her dark fairy speaks, "It depends on what you mean by god, as that description can match a wide variety of beings. What we would need, specifically, is someone who can move souls around in a way that not even Kyubey could. Before I hatched, the Incubator would often promise that Madoka-chan had the potential to become a god if she so wished. All of that potential went into me, but I can't access it yet. Not in full. There's too much in the way, and I'm not sure that I can really put the problems into words."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Yeah, Sayaka has considered that people might get unsettled if they learn about Witches and that keeping it in on the downlow is better, but another thing is having it confirmed by a false Witch. "When you say some Puella might react badly, and that people might start hunting me down, by me, do you mean me as a Puella or me as a Witch-Human hybrid?"

There is a thing that Sayaka never had the knowledge necessary to figure out, that she instead now has, and that the discussion on Madoka's godhood made her think of. "So you allow Madoka to turn into Hope Witch, and you admitted you are are similar to me", Sayaka starts addressing Gretchen. "Moreover you said other world with different circumstances exist. Are the factors blocking you a Madoka that became a Witch in one of these worlds? Is Gretchen the name of Madoka's Witch? How strong is Madoka's Witch if you are the corruption of godhood?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Oh, no," says Gretchen, shaking her head. "It's not just you specifically. I mean Tomoe-san, Sakura-san, Akemi-san... anyone who has made a contract with Kyubey would be endangered if that knowledge ever became public."

    Madoka explains further, "When I saw other worlds, sometimes I'd see..." There's some hesitation when Madoka speaks, and maybe even a crack in her voice. "... friends turn on one another. Other times you'd have Puella Magi who decided to assassinate others to prevent the birth of Witches. I'm not in danger because even as Hope Witch, I'm just an imitation. Anyone who looks at me can see that I'm not a Puella Magi. I don't know how people like that would respond to you, though."

    Medo gets increasingly horrified as she listens to this. It seems like even some of Madoka's own Chara haven't heard these details. The pinkette wouldn't even be saying anything about this if it wasn't a potential danger to Sayaka.

    When Sayaka starts asking the hard hitting questions, Gretchen starts getting quiet. After a moment she apologizes and says, "Sorry... that kind of thing isn't really a secret anymore, it's just... In most worlds Madoka either becomes a Puella Magi or she stays magicless. This is the only world we're connected to where she's a Chara Bearer, which means it's the only place where I exist."

    Madoka continues where Gretchen trails off. "Kriemhild Gretchen is the full name of my Witch, and in at least one other universe I was strong enough to overtake the planet. I only got stopped because someone else ended the world before I did. Because Gretchen and my other Chara exist, that can't happen."

    Crossing her arms and looking grumpy, Gretchen adds, "That's another thing, honestly. I'm pretty sure Kyubey knew just how strong Madoka-chan's Witch would be, and he didn't care about that at all." The X-Chara sighs before continuing. "Whatever, we have enough actual apocalypses to worry about, and there's no need to think too much about a Witch who can't exist in this time line. Your intuition is at least partially correct. As for whether or not something in these other worlds are blocking us... well... yes and no. The memories are traumatic, and that can block things, but they're also a pathway."

    Madoka explains, "Gretchen thinks that if I can fully understand and accept things, it will help me to more clearly define what kind of goddess I would want to be, which in turn will help her as an X-Chara."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"That tracks, it's why I asked that guy you saw on the alicorn when we were rescuing Hinoiri and Naru to keep it a secret", Sayaka says, casually dropping that Bow now knows that kind of secret.

And Sayaka bites her lips when Madoka goes into more details on what those other worlds are like. "Are you alright, Madoka-chan? I can't believe you have had to live alongside something like that. It makes what I went through that led to Oktavia a joke", Sayaka says approaching the pinkette and apprehensively look her close in the eyes. Granted, she is not a Puella here, so there would be no stupid deadline thanks to Kyubey, but is Madoka's mind made of steel?

Sayaka gets pallid when she listens to what kind of Witch Madoka would produce. If a super strong Witch like Walpurgisnacht is a secret lost to time in how it was born, what kind of thing could... She looks at the best friend again, struggling to accept that the sweet, caring and friendly person in front of her is also such an apocalyptic event if things become ever so different.

"Madoka-chan, are you ok? I... Well, I don't know what led to that, but if there are some problems I don't know of, you will tell me? I want you to feel like it's safe to tell me." The bluenette can't help but think she didn't want to share even something as small as the slap by Hinoiri.

Then Gretchen explains that Kriemhild Gretchen just can't be born here and that does bring relief to Sayaka somewhat, if only insofar as she doesn't have to worry about things slipping when she is not looking. She is just not sure that solves the actual issues that led to Madoka's Witch.

"I see..." Sayaka says slowly. That sounds like Madoka alright, ignoring herself because that would lead to things becoming better for others. "I can't say I understand all that, but let's do something small to help others once in a while, ok? I don't think you should have to focus on this big picture all the time." She has like the sensation the pinkette would do something terribly unfair to herself for some sort of grand scope bout of selflessness.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka frowns and for a moment she has trouble making eye contact with Sayaka. She has never been good about hiding her emotions, and a lot of times she doesn't even try. It's very clear that she's bothered and upset. It takes her a moment to phrase what she wants to say. "I mean... not really. No, I'm not okay, but if I don't do something then even worse things will happen. If I stay back and don't do anything, I'll lose everyone I care about. More than that... it's not fair. The world isn't fair. Not for us. Puella Magi deserve a far better fate than this. You didn't do anything wrong by making your wish, and I never wished for anything bad in those other worlds, either. The laws of the universe shouldn't be punishing us."

    She wraps her arms around her stomach and leans forward, looking at the ground. "I'm not going to close my eyes and pretend it doesn't involve me. If I have the power to change things then I should. It's my responsibility." Gretchen and Medo watch on as Madoka opens up to Sayaka. "It's... kind of weird, really. When I first heard Kyubey tell me that I could become a god, I didn't like the idea. It sounded to me like a kind of arrogant, dumb thing. I saw myself becoming an object of worship and it weirded me out. I can't imagine why anyone would want that. To be an otherworldly being that others start wars over... Maybe someone would think it was fun to have the power to do whatever they wanted, but that has always struck me as being short sighted."

    She shakes her head and stands up straight. Looking up the sky, she says, "That's not what's really important, though. If the karmic laws of the universe say that Puella Magi have to suffer, then those laws need to change."

    Gretchen, who has been waiting quietly, says, "Saya-chan's right about one thing, though. It's okay to help out in minor ways. I know you don't really want to give up your humanity or leave your family behind."

    Medo also speaks up, saying, "I don't think that this is something that can be rushed. We're talking about something that should be impossible."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka glances at the Grief Seeds resting in the corner when Madoka lays out her reasoning. Despite herself she agrees all too well, with her reasoning: hasn't she just before this declared that she intends to intensely search for a way to help them turn back? What right does she have now to tell Madoka no just because she is afraid for her? "Because of Walpurgisnacht?" Sayaka asks then.

"I don't think it's true that you stand to lose everything because of her. She may be massive, and I can't tell what's like to have those fearsome visions of her, but so many magical people are here. We can stop her just as we are, Madoka. Just as you are."

She takes a deep breath. "I am willing to bet that it won't be just us either. Riventon, La Crima, Sunbreaker, that guy that was helping in the Eclipse Zone... They are all living here too, and Walpurgisnacht is also their problem."

Sayaka wonders if she helped cause this by showing her this place and sharing the bluenette's new resolution. Probably not caused, but maybe reinforced, because now there are clear people in front of Madoka waiting to be helped out of that mass of despair Kyubey uncaringly threw them in.

"That's all too you Madoka, but the Grief Souls are not going anywhere. Please don't rush into things that everyone will regret ok?" Sayaka tries to tell her. "If you truly mean that our wishes aren't wrong, let's find a way so that you don't have to pay for yours either, because you are just as much part of those that deserve that."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka and Gretchen hear Sayaka out when it comes to Walpurgisnacht. They look at each other, and then at Sayaka. Madoka offers the bluenette a soft smile, but then shakes her head. "Walpurgisnacht is a huge risk, and we'd be lucky to get through that fight without losses, but I don't think that she can end the world. I've seen that Witch die in other timelines. It will take an army of magicals to defeat her, but the good news is that here in Tokyo, we already have one. She wont catch us unprepared. Especially not with Mami in Obsidian, as much as I don't like her being there."

    After a pause, Madoka looks away and adds, "It's... all the other apocalypses. All the other forces out there wanting to end the world. Sadly, I don't remember the details of most of them. I often get left out of the loop in those other worlds, and even if I'm not the fact is that the details will be different here anyways. I don't really know what caused the world to crumble underneath my Witch's feet. I just know that there are many, many ways in which things can go wrong."

    She gives Sayaka a sideways glance, and then turns back to her with a smile. "I'm actually glad you're doing this, though. With the Grief Souls in this state, they should be able to remain safe without causing anyone problems. I'm sure the magical girls sleeping inside them wouldn't want to hurt people, so you're helping them too."

    Gretchen shrugs and adds, "There's no way that Madoka will get through this without heartbreak. She has to understand the reality of this situation before she can even hope to address it. However, let me reassure you on one point, Saya-chan: I am nothing like Kyubey. All I want is for Madoka to keep working towards her dreams. Whatever she eventually becomes, I'm sure it will be a fulfilling life."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Just as Sayaka knows that Madoka is willing to sacrifice herself for the good of others, she also knows there is little she can do to change her mind once she has found something she really believes in. They are both so similar, the two of them: there is no way they are going to ignore someone that is within reach of them. It just so happens that Madoka's reach is so much wider than hers.

"I do hope that it will be fulfilling for you, Madoka", Sayaka sighs, partially accepting what Gretchen has told her. "I want this to end well for you too, and if I would try to hold you back, I would just be a hypocryte, and you wouldn't be happy anyway." Closing Madoka in a gilded cage is really no solution, nor something she ought to do if she truly cared for her.

"There is one point I am not going to budge onto", Sayaka remarks to Gretchen, looking towards the X-Chara this time. "Whatever her dream is, she will realise it without heartbreak, I will see to it myself as her best friend."

"We will get to the other apocalypses when we get there, however, I intend to regard them the same way I just regarded Walpurgisnacht: with all of us together, we will win."

"Thank you, Madoka-chan", Sayaka ends her speech on a calmer note. "That's what I hope for as well. I have been reaching out to other Puellae too, like Rocket Red and Melon. I want to be something we can all contribute towards."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka and Sayaka have this in common: that they both dig their heels in on certain points, and that they both want what's good for others. Maybe that's why they've been friends for so long. The pinkette smiles the bluenette and shakes her head. "No, I wouldn't be happy. Not if I was made to sit on the sidelines. Not while I can still make things right."

    Gretchen narrows her eyes at Sayaka when she says she wont budge. The X-Chara shrugs and says, "If you say so. Even I have to admit that the dark energy which turned me into an X-Chara can sometimes skew my vision. Just because I don't see how that can happen doesn't mean that it can't. I don't know everything..." With a sigh, the dark fairy concludes, "I guess it's just in your nature to aim high, isn't it?"

    Madoka takes a step towards her friend, with a bit of hope in her eyes. "I would like that, but if we want to save the world then we need to avoid taking losses whenever possible. If we lose someone in one battle, we can lose two in the next, and then four... Something like that can get worse and worse until there's nothing left. So whatever you do, don't allow yourself to die, Saya-chan, and help keep others around as much as you can."

    It may seem like a random statement, but it's the best advice she can give in the moment. Madoka looks around at the inside of the concert hall, and then makes an awkward laugh. "This is the first time I've felt safe in someone else's Labyrinth. I should show you mine some time."

    Gretchen takes another look at the Grief Seeds and says, "Well, these two Grief Souls seem safe enough. Sayaka, if you need any help with them, be sure to let me or Madoka-chan know, okay? You seem like you have everything well in hand here, but this is unprecedented and there's no telling what will happen as a result."