218/No Rest

No Rest
Date of Scene:	08 August 2023
Location:	Mitakihara General Hospital
Synopsis:	In which a girl gets princess carried by another girl! Shock! Gasp!
Cast of Characters:	Teresia Kuefer, Magda Faust

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Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    Fifty-six civilians. Large-area lure. Minor contusions. Emotional distress. Light to medium psychological trauma. Will clear up within a week or two based off prior observations as memories fade. No casualties.

    Teresia Kuefer strides through the halls of Mitakihara General Hospital with purpose. She passes by people standing still, slipping between them, and navigating to her destination without anyone even knowing that she was ever there.

    Three Puella Magi. Two Candidates. One Unknown. Kyubey as observer. Target eliminated, Grief Seed retrieved. No injuries. Light to medium psychological trauma. Unlikely to clear up without careful management or therapy. No casualties.

    One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two. It's odd, but while traveling through the gray realm of slowed time that is her domain, the rhythm that comes with dancing is frequently the easiest way to bypass obstacles as quickly and efficiently as possible. The other girls on her time knew she could slow time, but they didn't realize the degree to which she could do so, or her other ability.

    Grief Seed granted to the amateur Puella Magi on site, Amanda Faust. Note: Check with Magda about the possibility of a relative in the area. May be able to recruit an additional team member.

    With enough magic, Teresia could slow time to the point that it was virtually stopped from her perspective. She rarely did so, because it was disgustingly costly, unnecessary, and came with further complications like having to force her way through air slowed to the point of becoming a solid wall. In essence, aside from pushing to her limits once, when she first learned how to use her magic, Teresia had never bothered again. It was the same as paralyzing herself in a cage of solid air and specks of light so filtered that the world started to look... Disturbing.

    Note: Follow up with Madoka Kaname. She seemed more distaught by her experience than the others. Miho Aiuchi might also need some emotional support. There's no such thing as a Labyrinth that isn't dangerous, but in order to gain more allies, it isn't enough to just warn them. They have to be encouraged too.

    Even right now, she was just slowing to thousandths of a second. Everyone around her appeared to be standing still, but a time lapse camera would show that they were still in motion. As long as Teresia was carrying the camera, at least. She senses the expenditure of magic as she stops outside of a hospital room, allowing time to revert enough to get the door open without having to break it, and then closing it again. Then she turned and saw Magda, doing her work upon the patients.

    With the Grief Seed surrendered from this most recent target, and the Grief Seeds shared with other Puella Magi over the past two years, the total stock remaining: One-hundred and fifty-seven Grief Seeds. Thirty percent have partial usage remaining. Roughly fifty percent have one usage left. Ten percent have two uses still possible. Five percent are unused. The remaining five percent are full and have yet to be processed by Kyubey.

    Teresia reverts from her Puella Magi form, appearing in a long coat of red and black, a halter top, loose black pants, and leather boots as she leans against a wall and waits for Magda to be done. Her junior being in the middle of injecting a little boy with positive energy to cure his whooping cough isn't the time to spook her. Only then does she borrows Kyubey's telepathy to send a message. <<Hey. Do you have a moment?>>

    Time Remaining Until The End Of The World: Nine months, thirteen days, five hours, thirty minutes, and five seconds.

Magda Faust has posed:
    A moment? Of course she has a moment. The issue is all the people she can't get to, who have far less than that. When called upon by mental messaging, Magda turns, in her cross between a nurse's outfit and a schoolgirl's serafuku, green hair swinging around as she tries to locate Teresia. Then she spots the team leader, mentor, and savior of the Puella Meisters. The very tired girl gives a very tired smile as the energy syringe in her hand disappears, leaving behind no physical insertion point to mark it. <<Yes, of course, miss.>> Magda does a quick check to make sure everything is going as expected. The boy's breathing is back to normal, there's no more 'noise' in his lungs, the ribs that were broken from coughing so much are well on their way to mending... And every other patient in the hospital whom she can do something for without creating suspicion has had at least minor treatment from her magic.

    <<How may I help you? Is someone injured? I heard there was a fight against a strong Witch...>> Magda looks tired. She feels tired. Down to her bones, she is exhausted. She always thinks she should feel relief or fulfillment at being able to help so many people, but that feeling never comes. There's just the guilt and worry that she can't help everyone. She takes off her hat and looks at the green crystal on the front of it. She hadn't even noticed how clouded it had become.

    <<Oh. You're probably here for me, aren't you, Miss Teresia?>> she sends with sudden realization.

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    <<Got it in one.>> Teresia responds lightly. The way they can convey tone over a telepathic link is just one of the many mysteries that magic has brought into their lives. The ability to save lives and to improve them is another. They have gained horrors too. Like watching one of the most kind-hearted girls she had ever known spending herself like a human sacrifice no matter what it did to poor Magda. This was the same girl who had used her Wish to get more time in this life, when she was on death's door. Now she used that time to prevent others from having to make a similar choice.

    Teresia did a cute little sleight of hand 'magic' trick as she performed a flourish and then presented a Grief Seed to the green-haired girl. <<For you, young miss.>> She also tilts her head a bit and looks pointedly at the hat in Magda's hands. <<And no protests. You need it more than any of us.>>

Magda Faust has posed:
    <<Haa... You know me so well.>> she responds, a wry smile on her face as she crosses the room to accept the gift from Teresia. They've worked together long enough that the blonde knows Magda would refuse to accept a Grief Seed if one of the others had any need for it, even if she was about to run out of magic herself. Clearly, in this case, her big sister-figure will brook no arguments. As the Medical Magi takes the black ornament-looking thing in hand and applies it to her Soul Gem to sap away the soot-like filth, she can't help yawning. "Did anyone from your expedition need healing?" she asks outloud, forgetting to keep it to telepathy. She doesn't feel energized by her Soul Gem being shiny clean again per se, but she does feel better at least.

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    Teresia indulges Magda's switch to verbal communication, though she keeps her voice is quiet. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Mags. Bumps and bruises. They'll be fine in a matter of days. Linda disabled them without harming them. ...Mostly." Apparently there were a fair few punches, kicks, knees, and elbows when the crowd got to be too close to stun with magic. Unfortunate, but a bit late to do anything about it. She then switches back to telepathy as she holds out a hand for the sleepy Puella Magi. <<We should get you home before you fall asleep on your feet. There's only so much you can do without rest.>>

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda blinks for a moment and then realizes her mistake. <<Oops.>> She sticks the partially used Grief Seed in her pocket and then accepts Teresia's hand. She also accepts Teresia's words at face value. Sometimes, Magda thinks she would trust anything the veteran Puella Magi told her. Vaguely, she wonders if maybe she should be concerned about that, but she can't muster the energy to care. Teresia is a Hero. Larger than life (in many ways), she swept onto the scene and kept them all safe, even in the worst of circumstances. Nothing Magda's senior has ever done has given reason to doubt her.

    On the other hand, Magda isn't necessarily suspicious of Kyubey... But she has questions about some of his decisions and actions. Not right now though. Too tired to be inquisitive. Too tired to worry. She finds herself lurching towards Teresia as her heavy eyelids close and she almost passes out right there.

    <<Oh! S-sorry...>> she gets out as she grabs the taller girl's sleeve to stabilize herself, and just has to look down at the floor for a bit, and wait for things to stop spinning. <<I hadn't realized just how tired I truly was.>> Other questions she had wanted to ask will have to wait. She chuckles slightly outloud before stopping herself. <<Rest, huh? That would be wonderful. Do you think you can take me home, Teri?>>

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    The tall blonde, ever ready, ever swift to render aid, is of course able to catch Magda and keep the other girl standing. When asked for help about getting home, she is also of course willing and able. <<Hold on tight.>> she sends to Magda as she sweeps the younger girl up in her arms in a 'princess carry'. Even without transforming, she is rather strong. It is the matter of a moment for a flash of light to change her into a Puella Magi again. She makes sure Magda's hat is securely in the green-haired girl's grasp.

    <<I would be happy to be the one to bring you home.>> she confirms warmly as she smiles down at her friend and student. The door opens on its own, seemingly, with a small application of magic along the floor and into the door frame, transmitted from Teresia's booted foot. No one is in the area to notice them right now, so she lets the door close on its own, then slows the world down again. This time, she is making for the roof as she races upwards, floor by floor, unnoticed by either people or cameras except perhaps as a brief blur.

    Once they are both on top of the hospital, Teresia allows the grayness of the world to revert back to color and life. <<From here, we'll be crossing rooftops. You might want to switch back.>>

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda is a bit surprised by being scooped up. Finding herself held very close to the much more mature figure of the beautiful Teresia definitely has the green-haired girl blushing a bit as she finds an excuse to look away. But along the way to the roof, as light and shadows and everything else rapidly passes them by, she can't help looking up at the one carrying her. Larger-than life. A Hero. Her mentor. Her savior. Her team mate. Her friend.

    She has to wonder how many of the others in their group are also in love with Teresia Kuefer, as well as how many other hearts she were left acheing in their wake as they passed through Europe and Asia on their long, two-year trip. Even after everything they have seen, Magda brushes one of her green braids out of her eyes once they are both on the roof, and looks out over this strange new city. She can't help but smile at the city lights as night falls.

    <<Yes. I should do that.>> Despite the cold air up here as Magda looks around at the flower beds, set out for decoration, she feels warm in Teresia's arms. She reverts to being only Magda Faust, in a simple gray dress and black leggings. She can trust Teresia with her everything. Green eyes close, a sleepy head turns as she nestles her face into the crook of Teresia's arm, and she says just one last thing for now. She'll be asleep, even leaping from building to building, before she even makes it home. So she has to say it now.

    "It's important that you rest too."

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    Ah. Rest.

    She leaps from building to building, slowing time when needed for that extra speed boost, but otherwise keep her expenditure to a minimum. Little 'pulses' of her power are less costly than maintaining it. As she closes in on Magda's new home where she lives with her family while waiting for school to resume so she can get a new dorm, Teresia resigns herself to sneaking in through the window and putting the other girl to bed rather than waking her up just to go back to sleep.

    It would be nice if Magda's suggestion were possible. Unfortunately, there's an expression relevant in this case that really summarizes Teresia's position.

    No rest for the wicked.

    The guilt over not being able to stop any of this from happening continues to eat Teresia Kuefer alive.

    Time Remaining Until The End Of The World: Nine months, thirteen days, five hours, two minutes, eighteen seconds.

    She prays that someone else out there knows and is doing something about it.