1435/The slap escalates

The slap escalates
Date of Scene:	21 April 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Lydian reaches out to Sayaka about the fight between Madoka and Hinoiri, relaying what caused it and getting a few questions answered. A phone conversation with Madoka happens and Gretchen comes over to discuss the fate of Guardian Charas.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki

---

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian promised Sayaka a while ago that she'd tell Sayaka if something was troubling Madoka, but actually she's dragged her feet a little bit. First off, because she wanted to let things cool off a bit first, but secondly she also has some questions of her own. As the little artist chara was hemming and hawing about this, she ran across Sayaka at some point in the school day and asked to talk to her later.

    Now it's the end of the school day, and Lydian is waiting for Sayaka to get done with Homework. While she waits, she's taken out a small little easel and is currently painting a tiny little picture on it in order to pass the time. The picture itself seems... abstract to say the least. It's hard to tell what it's supposed to be, but it looks colorful and bright.

    She's waiting underneath a gazebo with a blue roof on school grounds, near the main entrance. The tiny Chara fidgets with her hands a bit, because much like her Bearer she doesn't really hide her emotions that well. Or at all.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sometime after classes were over, possibly before Sayaka attended her club activities of the day (or maybe right after), it was one of those times in which Lydian and her stumbled onto each other, at which the bluenette waved smiling to the friendly Chara, accepting her request to meet again later.

Sneaking out of the school by going over the walls, Sayaka decides to reserve the artistic pinkette a surprise, taking a detour to buy some creamy cookies for Lydian, then going back inside by the same method.

With her surprise safely in hand, the bluenette heads towards the main entrance, her brow furrowing once she sees Lydian fidgeting, but nonetheless handing the transparent packet with the treats over to the mini-pinkette. "Here I am, Lydian! I got something for you", she speaks up then. "What are you drawing?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian may be observant but she's not "spot a magical girl trying to sneak out" observant, so she's surprised when Sayaka shows up with cookies. She floats up to Sayaka with canvas in hand, and gratefully accepts the tasty treat but doesn't start eating it right away.

    "Oh, it's just... something I saw in Gretchen's Labyrinth. I think it was supposed to be a carnival with fireworks but the space in there gets weird sometimes. I'm not sure it's always three dimensional in there." She shows it to Sayaka and, well, aside from being pretty it doesn't really make a lot of visual sense. There are clouds and sparkles and parts of a circus tent that seems folded in unnatural ways.

    "A-anyways, I'm not really here to talk about that." Lydian's egg appears and cracks open horizontally across the middle. She places her easel and the gifted cookies in the bottom half before turning back to the bluenette. "Madoka-chi... she kinda... got into a fight with Hinoiri. Hino-san was doing something bad and Doka-chi got really mad at her, especially once she found out that Hino-san wasn't... quite as powerless as she pretended."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
It is not surprising that Gretchen's Labyrinth behaves in the same fashion as other Labyrinths. Sure, something could be said for the fact that maybe having a mentally stable owner would lead to a more stable Labyrinth, but that is certainly not the case. As for her own case, Sayaka has yet to figure out if she is controlling Oktavia and then her Labyrinth through the Witch, or if she is operating the Labyrinth independently. Or maybe the difference is meaningless. "It is really pretty though", the bluenette praises Lydian, patting the Chara slightly before she listens to what she has to says.

A sigh exhudes out of Sayaka's mouth as she hears that there was a fight between Hinoiri and Madoka again, and well, she remembers what Madoka had written about what Hinoiri had done to Gretchen. It was part of why she was relieved seeing she was better during the Prom, but if Madoka has learnt about Hinoiri being Sunbreaker, it would be no wonder she would be upset about that. "So Madoka knows now. About Sunbreaker", Sayaka finally says with clear apprehension. "What was Hinoiri doing at the time, and what did Madoka tell her?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The art fairy Lydian studies Sayaka's face as she reacts, and the bluenette's words confirm something. "So... you knew."

    The art fairy glances away for a moment, considering, then turns back to Sayaka. "Madoka-chi suspected that you did, but she was afraid to ask. She didn't want to drive a wedge between you two, since you both seem to consider each other friends."

    Lydian takes a deep breath and releases it before going into the details. "So, what happened was, there's this boy who is also a Chara Bearer, and his Chara is a tiny cat fairy named Yoru. Hinoiri had Yoru trapped under a coffee mug and was trying to get the boy to come back to Obsidian with her. Apparently he lived with Easter but he ran away from home because they're evil, but his sister still works for them as the idol, Utau Hoshino."

    "Hinoiri was warning him that his sister was in danger over him running away. That's when Doka-chi stepped in and told Hino-san to stay away from Obsidian. Doka didn't know the truth yet, so they got into an argument where each was telling the other that they were 'in over their head'. Then the boy told Doka that Hinoiri was Sunbreaker."

    Lydian fidgets for a moment, before adding. "I wasn't actually there, but Gretchen told me what happened. Well, rather, she used telepathy to show me but... same thing. Ikuto, that's the boy's name, wanted to rescue his Chara, so he conspired with Gretchen. He distracted Hinoiri and Gretchy dove for the mug, knocking it out of Hino-san's hand and freeing Yoru. Then Doka got scared that Hinoiri was gonna do something mean to Gretchy and slapped her across the face. That's when the fight started."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka nods, before specifying "Not for a long while. When I made my wish over Kyosuke and became a Puella at the last moment, I didn't know that Hinoiri was Sunbreaker. I simply figured she was aware of magic as I was. When I learnt it, the secret of the Soul Gem had been out for a while, and it was more because Hinoiri herself couldn't stand hiding it any longer."

Adjusting the hem of her sleeves, Sayaka continues her explanation. "To be blunt, Hinoiri is really misguided due to some past trauma, but she means well. I suspect the reason Eclipse Zones drain so little from civilians is because she took to heart my reproach over how disrupting the usual drain is for them", Sayaka confides.

She then listens to what Lydian has to say about Hinoiri's latest actions. That doesn't surprise her in the slightest, insofar as it's the typical well-meaning action with Hinoiri's own 'spin' put on it. "It was wrong of Hinoiri to trap Yoru like that, especially after what she did to Gretchen, but I can see what she was trying to do. Just, I wish she spent her energies keeping Utau safe rather trying to force her brother into going back with Obsidian."

"I should try and check how Madoka-chan feels after this. It can't have been easy for her to see Gretchen so close to Hinoiri after her incursion in the Eclipse Zone", Sayaka muses with clear worry. "What happened after that?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian nods at Sayaka's explanation. Well, that makes sense. So, Hinoiri confessed it to her privately. "That must have been hard, being on opposing sides." The news about the Soul Gem also puts things into context. "I hatched shortly after that came out, so... it likely would've been at some point during my existence," she muses.

    "Regarding the past trauma, Madoka-chi actually said something along those lines. She's seen some rough things during her time volunteering at the hospital, and suspected that Hinoiri-san was acting out of some kind of PTSD. Specifically, she wondered if Hinoiri had suffered at the hands of someone who... might not have been as nice as she pretended."

    Lydian isn't necessarily here to place blame or pass judgment on anyone, but she can't really agree with Hino-san's actions. "She's very forceful, and doesn't always think things through. Part of that is probably the dark energy, if you ask me. Gretchen sometimes complains that the stuff makes her more mean than she would otherwise be, and she can't always bring herself to admit that out loud."

    "Honestly... as much as Madoka-chan tries to be cheerful, she's often worried about losing one of us. Especially Gretchen," admits Lydian. "I've seen the way she acts when a Witch gets too close to one of us. It's a little scary."

    Lydian clears her throat before continuing the story. "Well, after Madoka slapped her, Hinoiri slapped back, and then they grabbed each other and tried fighting. Neither one of them henshined, because they didn't really want to escalate, but that also means they got hurt with no magical protection. Then they heard police sirens in the distance and they all scattered."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"It was hard sometimes, but I couldn't just abandon Hinoiri, partly because I really liked liked her, and partly because I couldn't leave her by herself after she told me what she was really up to. Her previous teacher was so hard on her that she was never good enough, and she is trying to get strong enough to remove her", she finishes explaining.

Sayaka bites her lips at the explanation on dark energy. It would only make sense, she saw what that stuff did to Adora, and maybe she can't exclude the impurity from her Soul Gem working similarly. "If I look through Klarissa's memories, I can see that it was really easy to get swallowed by the negativity caused by impurity back then, so it would work similarly, I assume." Sayaka saying 'Klarissa's memories is only for Lydian's convienence. In actuality there isn't such a clear divide.

"Madoka-chan just cares a whole lot, she is really empathetic like that, and as much as Witches are our fallen companions, they really are dangerous", Sayaka agrees. "But you are her Charas, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she saw you like family members. I think you matter a lot to her in more ways than being her dreams."

Sayaka winces at the thought of the fight the slap escalated to. "Just let me send her a message, I just... want to hear how she feels."
<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Hey, Madoka-chan, I have been hearing a few things, out here on campus. How are you feeling?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian considers what Sayaka reveals regarding Hinoiri. It would... actually explain a lot about her. "No wonder she's so weirdly competitive. I actually saw her at a Karaoke bar the other day, and it felt like she wanted to turn it into a contest. Not that it matters too much, I guess. The rest of us were happy to just have fun."

    Crossing her arms, Lydian considers, "Gretchen-chan would probably be able to answer that better than I could. She knows Witch stuff better than dark energy stuff, despite exclusively using the latter. I think it's tied to the alternate universe stuff that Doka-chi mentioned. The way Madoka describes Witches, she seems to think that, in most cases, the person they used to be would never actually want to be that violent. By stopping the Witch she's putting the soul to rest, more or less."

    On the topic of Chara being like family, Lydian adds, "She basically called herself Gretchen's mother the other day. Our relationship isn't quite as simple as mother-and-child. Most Chara consider our Bearers to be friends, not parents. I think that Madoka does consider herself to be our caretaker though, and she feels responsible for us even if she can't really control us at all."

    As Sayaka takes out her phone and texts Madoka, Lydian hovers by and watches. It takes a second for Madoka to respond at first.

<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Hm? Oh, I'm feeling alright.

<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Wait, is one of my Chara talking to you? She didn't tell you that I ran from the cops, did she?!

Sayaka Miki has posed:
If she was doing that at a Karaoke, it sounds like Hinoiri really needs to stop treating things like a competition and find a way to unwind. After all, she was trying to do that for the bluenette's sake back when Sayaka was dismissing her own value. It's a pity she doesn't have a birthday. Maybe a day where everyone is there for her is just what she needs. But, Sayaka thinks as she grins lightly, they just need to choose a day to treat as her birthday, one close.

"That seems right to me", Sayaka comments when Lydian brings up what it's like to be a Witch. "Back when I was Oktavia, it felt like I could only wallow in my own despair or resentment, and those feelings were my entire world, with everything I saw distorted through them", she recalls, glad that is behind her for good.

"She only means well", Sayaka says after taking in Madoka acting like a mother for the charas. The more lighthearted part of her wants to poke fun at Madoka and bring up the comparison that she is acting like a mother hen, with no help from Charas having hen, but she actually recognises how hurtful that would be, so she says nothing. Instead she keeps texting.

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: That wasn't the focus. She was worrying about the fact you got hurt into a fight with Hinoiri.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Eheh, well I had a few cuts and bruises, but honestly I think Hinoiri got out worse than I did. She doesn't know how to throw a punch at all.
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Inai-sensei's self defense classes actually helped me out a bit. I don't think Hinoiri-san has a lot of physical training.
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Momma actually got concerned at first. She told me not to make it a habit.
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Kindof weird, isn't it? We fight magic battles all the time and no one even knows about it, but this relatively small scuffle gets the most attention.

    Madoka probably would be upset if she got teased for being a mother hen. The way she frets and worries about them probably wouldn't help. Lydian shrugs and says, "At the end of the day, regardless of how she sees us, we exist to help her pursue her own dreams. If anything we're like her teachers! Still, we're likely going to fade out one day. I hope she isn't too heartbroken when that happens."

    After a moment's pause, Lydian adds, "Well, maybe don't talk too much about that last part in front of her. We'll probably be around through high school at least!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Can't really blame your mother there. Or anyone's. She would be very shocked if she got to know about you being Hope Blossom.

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Though she would enjoy meeting all of your Charas.

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Did you go to the infirmary for your bruises? Though I don't think I should tell how how important that would be.

Sayaka slows down when she hears that the Charas might all disappear. Sure, she knows the Fade is a thing and she is going to have to stop herself from going through that so she still recalls what her Soul Gem is, but she has never though about something similar existing for them.

"Is that going to happen was sure? I think many would miss you, and Madoka would probably take it very badly. I too don't want you to go away", she affirms to Lydian. "I will try not to bring it up, but I don't think that would turn out to be much better in the end."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: I think she'd be worried sick, if I'm being honest. Papa would, too.
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Eheh... probably! If she could see them. I wonder how long it would take for her to realize that they've been playing with Tatsuya this whole time.
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Medo looked me over. I needed a few bandaids and disinfectant but it wasn't that bad. I didn't break anything.

    When Lydian is asked about how the Fade would affect them, she actually has to stop and think about it. "Well, I don't know for sure, but Tadase-kun seemed to think so. I'm not sure what happens to a Heart's Egg when the Fade hits. Maybe we go back to just being dreams? All I know is that there aren't a lot of adult magicals. Especially not Chara Bearers."

    With a soft smile, Lydian says, "I think I'd miss you too, if something happened, but it's not that bad. As long as Madoka doesn't forget her dreams, we wont have existed in vain. We'll live on inside of her, in a way." Scratching her chin, "Well, except maybe Gretchen... She's the most fragile. Hopefully she gets better before then."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Tatsuya did? How is it going?

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: I am glad Medo could check you over. It would be plenty bad otherwise.

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Try not to develop a street cred, everyone would be quite worried.

"That would be horrible. You can't be happy with that", Sayaka remarks, trying not to raise her voice. It's certainly not Lydian"s fault. "It doesn't matter if you vanish or return, you being still here actually matters to people. There has to be a way to actually prevent you from disappearing. I am sure you too don't want to go. Don't you want to keep enjoying your life?"

"I am sure Madoka wouldn't want to hear you saying this either. Lydian, what if we find way to keep you around? Wouldn't that be better for you and everyone? Gretchen wouldn't have to worry about her own fragility either. How worried is she over that? For her own sake, I mean."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Well, the Chara help with babysitting sometimes. He calls them "little big sis" because I guess they all look like me.
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Eheh... Me? With street cred? I don't want that. Everyone will get the wrong idea about me!

    Lydian has to consider how to respond for a moment. "Well, not really no. I can't say that I'm happy, but I can accept it. I mean, maybe if Madoka-chan really becomes a goddess she can keep us around in some form? I'd be curious to see if she had enough potential to overcome the Veil."

    On the topic of Gretchen, Lydian is a bit more sad. "Honestly, I think the way that Gretchen's fate would probably be the worst, and would hurt Doka-chi the most. We don't hold her attitude against her because we know she has it rough. I'm not really sure what happens to fairies mascots when the Veil hits them. Kyubey seems to be immune to it. However, there's a big difference between us turning back into a dream, and an X-Chara being forgotten by her dreamer. A part of Madoka-chan would be missing forever if that happened."

    "In all honesty, even if Gretchen-chan doesn't realize it, Madoka is trying constantly to connect to her better or figure out how to save her." Lydian taps her chin as she thinks out loud. "Maybe that's why she's been using the Hope Witch henshin more. That had a bad effect the first time, but ever since Oktavia it hasn't really been as hard on us when she does that."

    "As for Gretchen herself, and how much she cares..." Lydian bites her lower lip, and floats closer to her. "Gretchen carries a lot of trauma. I think Madoka-chan told you that she's seen other alternate universes? Well, Doka-chi suffers horribly in most of those, and Gretchen carries the trauma from that. At her core, she's not much different than the rest of us in that she's more worried about Madoka than herself, no matter how selfish her dark energy makes her. That's why she isn't afraid to take risks if it means a better fate for Doka."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: He has adapted really well. It has to feel like a fairy tale for him. That must be really nice to see.

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: Madoka-chan, I will support you whatever happens, I can be even be your second in command :P

Sayaka has to consider if Lydian is mentioning it for real or it's just a joke, something she is doing to diminish her own apprehension. "Well, Madoka-chan accomplishing something like that sounds... totally incredible. But I want to help her along if this is the best path for her."

Sayaka frowns at the mention of Kyubey. "He is indipendent from anyone, though. He is not someone's Chara that took form. Presumably. So getting forgotten by his charges doesn't hurt him any. Rather, since he is perfectly fine with us turning into Witches, he may have even taken that into account. I mean, there is this thing about freezing our ages, so we aren't really forced to forget our Soul Gems, but still, he is just going to benefit, I believe."

The notion that Oktavia has helped Madoka makes Sayaka stop. "It really has? Would seeing Oktavia again help her more, or letting Gretchen study it? If it helps with making sure that Gretchen and Madoka-chan get to feel better, I am ok with bringing her out again."

"Maybe that's why Madoka-chan worries so much over you. Because she has been told how Chara works, and she feels you are going to prioritise her with nobody to do the same for you. That's just unfair to you. And Gretchen too deserves to be happy herself."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Oh geeze. I don't know if my mother would approve of me becoming a mob boss. ^_^;;;
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: I couldn't ask for a better right hand, though. XD;

    "Well, that's between her and Gretchen-chan," says Lydian. "I think what Madoka-chi has been trying to do lately is redefine what Gretchen is, by changing the dream that she represents. You couldn't do that for a full fledged Chara like me, but Gretchen was hatched prematurely. See, normally, Gretchen would be stuck inside an egg until Madoka had a clear idea of what she wanted to be. We can't really hatch until our Chara Bearers have a clear concept of who we are. If they don't figure that out right away, we can stay in our eggs for a loooong time." Lydian spreads her hands wide to emphasize how long it is. "Months, in some cases even years!"

    Then the art chara crosses her arms. "But for X-Chara it's different. Especially for X-Chara who aren't naturally forming. Anyone who has a sleeping Heart's Egg can have that Egg get corrupted at any time, and that X-Chara will hatch immediately. Gretchen's a little weird because she's not going entirely crazy, but we think that's just because she took so much of Madoka-chan's magic potential. The darkness she was infected with is a drop in the bucket. Enough to mess with her head but not enough to force her to do bad things."

    Leaning in, cupping her mouth with her hands to whisper, "Of course, it doesn't hurt that Madoka herself is very hard to corrupt. She isn't just kind. She's also managed to be lucky enough avoid most sources of trauma." Floating back, and speaking at a more normal volume, she adds, "Well, that is, she was able to avoid them until magic happened. Actually, things have been pretty hard for her since then."

    A different, tiny, familiar voice suddenly pipes in. "Showing her Oktavia would be a kind thought, but it wouldn't matter that much." Lydian looks to the side as Gretchen floats closer. "It probably helps Madoka-chan to know that she's not the only one who can relate to Witch matters, but the important part was the fact that I didn't have to hide things from her anymore. The power of a Witch is based heavily on Despair, and I had to hide my sorrow from her the first time she henshined with me."

    Floating a little closer, and hovering next to Lydian, Gretchen says, "Brai and Medo bore that sorrow instead, and I suspect that's why they got hurt and had to hide in their eggs. The conflicting energies of Despair and Dreams don't really play together well."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Madoka Kaname: We can just reframe it to her as a company takeover. It would be you taking her words to heart.

Meanwhile Sayaka ponders the explanation Lydian gives her. "That's just terrible that happened to Gretchen. I know that she has been making the best of it, but the perpetrator is still at large, right? If we could catch them and knew what method they used to get her like that, maybe we could also get a clue on how to help things along." Though she has no idea where to start besides tailing any Easter employee.

"Madoka-chan is great for managing things even with everything that has been going on around it." She doesn't really dwell on the concept of staying inside a egg that long, since it would be like a prison from her perspective. But Chara Guardians are obviously used to it, so maybe it's fine.

Sayaka nods in agreement with Lydian. "Yeah, I remember Chrono mentioning that Madoka has natural magic power unlike me, so Gretchen availing herself of that is a very lucky break. With Madoka-chan after that being able to stare down things with her resilience to trauma, she has got a real shot of becoming this goddess anyway, despite the tampering."

"Oh, hello, Gretchen", Sayaka says once the X-Chara approaches. "We were saying how it's cruel that you would have to disappear and how to avoid that, and then the subject turned to the fact you going away would leave Madoka without a part of herself. And maybe there is something you are missing? I wouldn't know, but my Witch powers are clearly not running on despair since I haven't been feeling that for a very long while now. So maybe there are some things you can find out still that wouldn't put you so at odds with dreams."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
<PHONE> Madoka Kaname texts Sayaka Miki: Eheh. When you put it that way she might actually be proud of me!

    Lydian nods emphatically. "Yup. We still don't know who did it. I don't know if we could track him down that easily, but I think Utau does a very similar thing. She might know, but it wouldn't be easy to get her to talk."

    Lydian doesn't seem all that upset about being stuck in an egg. To her, it'd be like staying at home all day. Granted, it's still healthy for a Chara to go outside eventually.

    "As for the trauma, well... Madoka-chan is coping, but it's given her a pretty grim outlook on life. One thing's for sure, it's not really that easy to shock her anymore." Lydian scratches her chin and considers. "Granted, being able to stomach horror like that would probably help her a lot if she decided to go into medicine."

    Gretchen gives Sayaka a tiny wave once she's greeted. Whatever tension might have existed between them in the past, it's clearly not there now. Then, something Saya says catches her attention. "Huh... no despair? You really don't, do you? You've been relatively laid back ever since then." The Witch chara takes off her mask and flies in to get a closer look at Sayaka's face, and then she zips down to look at her Soul Gem ring. Then she flies back to comfortable talking distance. "You've moved past your despair, but Oktavia still exists in some form."

    Lydian points out. "Well, not all Witches actually come from despair. Some of them come from corrupted Soul Gems, and others come from Familiars. Maybe it's a thing where once you cross over you don't really cross back?"

    Gretchen glances towards Lydian, and then looks at Sayaka. The dark fairy taps her temple and says, "Well, okay. Despair is one path to hit the Witch transformation. What happens after is largely unknown. Only Kyubey would have had the chance to study that, and he clearly didn't care enough to check. All the same..." Gretchen gestures to herself. "Madoka-chan still felt despair in those other realities, and I carry those memories. It's those same memories that my powers are based upon, and also what Madoka-chan uses to henshin into Hope Witch. I wanted to spare her that pain, but Brai and Medo ended up eating it instead. From what they've said before they took that hit on purpose, to protect Madoka-chan from something she wasn't ready for yet."

    Clasping both of her tiny hands behind her tiny back, Gretchen says, "You're kindof an exceptional case, Saya-chan. From what I've seen, and from what other Madokas have experienced, Witches tend to be trapped within their own minds. You're lucky that you were able to move on. It might be possible that your existence will help us find a way to help others later on."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Yes, I am feeling perfectly fine really. Maybe it's how muxh everyone stuck with me that did it?" she suggests. "It is obviou I have been doing terribly by myself, and yet, my friends didn't give up on me. They tried to do their bests to impart me with something that would make it clear that who I am is this, and nothing else, someone that has a right to heal and enjoy life and do good, so now I live by that, and so, that's why Oktavia has been transformed, maybe."

She smiles at Gretchen, sincerely and calmly, with no hint of that past turbulence. "It will be tough, but maybe you need the same thing to happen, enough to overturn 150 alternate events of trauma. That's kinda what Madoka is already doing, anyway, I think by trying to realign you. If Brai and Medo recovered from that single instance, that might be how it actually works."

Sayaka intertwines her hands while she ponders. "I really am lucky, and of course, I want to be able to help others achieve that same miracle, if I can. For now, that means, keeping despair in stasis and stopping it from moving any further. Maybe one day that will pay off."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen closes her eyes and crosses her arms, thinking to herself. "In the past, when I've seen people call out to their Witch friends, it's never really gotten through. I've never actually seen a case like yours before. Either way, I hope by now you realize that you're cared for and that you matter, no matter what vessel your soul is in."

    Lydian smiles brightly, "I guess that ties into what you were saying earlier too, huh Saya-chan? I don't know if there's a way to keep us from vanishing after the Fade, but maybe one day we'll find such a thing."

    "Realigning me..." repeats Gretchen. "... Yeah, I think that's her long term plan. I've said before that something as vague as 'being your best self' wasn't enough of a dream. What she wants me to become, I think, is... 'Someone who can make things right'. If she can believe in that dream, and if that works, then maybe there's a way out for me. She never liked the idea of being a deity, but she's always wanted to be a hero."

    Lydian nods to Sayaka and says, "For now, at least. If we stall long enough, maybe we can find a better way." After pausing for a moment, Lydian reaches into her eggshell and offers Sayaka the picture she was paining, the abstract picture of light and color found within the darkness of Gretchen's Labyrinth. "Here, let me give you this. I know it's tiny, but maybe Ula would like it. Consider it a reminder that there's always something to hope for!" With a giggle, she adds, "No pun intended!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka gets a bit bashful when Gretchen reiterates how much people care for her and the importance of her own self. "Well, haha, yes, you are right, that's something I will never really forget, and I am glad you care about me remembering it, Gretchen", Sayaka replies to the X-Chara. "I know we started out not that well, mostly due to me, but I appreciate we are friends now." The bluenette isn't surprised when Gretchen mentions Madoka's relationship with being a deity.

"I think Madoka would only become a deity because that's how she can help others, but she values being close to people much more than being put on a pedestal to be worshipped. So, a hero sounds perfect for her."

"That's is really it", Sayaka says with conviction to Lydian. "We can definitely find something, and with so many of us here, the odds are that much better." Then she takes the painting Lydian offers her. "Thank you, Lydian, for the warning, and the painting. I will go put it in a safe place, it's really beautiful." Turning to Gretchen, she adds "Which is your Labyrinth, just so you know."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen glances off to the side and considers. "I wouldn't say that you were perfect," she says maybe a bit too bluntly, "but I'm sure my own flaws added to things. In any case, I do care. About you, about Madoka-chan, and about a number of people. I wouldn't be holding on if I didn't, and I'm glad we're friends too."

    Sayaka's response to the comment about Madoka's divinity causes Gretchen to shift uncomfortably. "Well... yeah. I've gotten into arguments with her about this before, but... if this is her solution, then it's fine. I don't know what kind of effect that change will have on me, but it's better than remaining as I am or fading out. After all, I'm a dream, and all I ever wanted was to come true."

    Lydian nods emphatically at Sayaka and says, "Thanks for the cookies! I'll be sure to enjoy them."

    Gretchen starts to blush a little when told that her Labyrinth is beautiful, and pulls her mask down to hide her face. "T-thanks. It looks even better when Madoka henshins with me."

    The art chara grabs the Witch chara's hand and says, "We should probably go check up on the others."