560/The Observant Witch and the Tutoring Puellae

The Observant Witch and the Tutoring Puellae
Date of Scene:	06 October 2023
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	Sayaka reunites with Madoka after a long while and gets to watch her first Witch Hunt in progress thanks to her and various Puellae, with an important contribution by Teresia.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Adalinda Blumenkrantz, Lulu Adelstein, Magda Faust, Madoka Kaname, Amanda Faust, Teresia Kuefer

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
Amidst the miriads of rumours circulating around Tokyo recently, one more has started spreading over the last two days, of people burning themselves after having allucinatory episodes at around 13:00. The contents of the allucinations differ: some say a cold mantle of snow covers those people, others say they are urged to take the fire and gain power through it, others still are declaring that they do it to break out of a sense of stasis.

Whatever the case, these allucinations are of course dismissed like a collective madness. Those with the gift of magic can of course see that's not the case, and despite not knowing which rumour is telling the truth, they can distinguish the Witch's Kiss on the victims' necks as clear as day.

It may be that this rumour hasn't reached them yet, however, since the events largely occur around 13:00. Which is definitely the case for a bluenette that is currently sorting her bag, preparing the material for the last lesson of the day, though she has the excuse of not actually having any magic gift, not yet, at least. For that, a white critter is rapidly approaching her, his cheery tone resonating into her mind.

<<Hello, Sayaka>> he says, jumping onto her desk. <<Oh, hello, Kyubey>> she answers, temporarily stopping rummaging through her bag to look at the white cat. <<What brings you here?>>

<<There is a witch nearby, and other Puellas are going there to take care of her, but you should come see too. It would be perfect preparation for when you take up the job yourself>>, he replies.

<<I have not decided yet, Kyubey, but alright>> grins the bluenette. <<Let me take a temporary stop, and you can lead the way.>>

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    Ordinarily, the black-haired, yellow-eyed German teenager named Adalinda Blumenkrantz does her Witch hunting after school. But Witches don't time their attacks to be convenient for those who hunt them. So when 'Linda is made aware of a Witch that should be dealt with promptly, she gives no sign of it outwardly. She just raises a hand, and says, "Sensei, I'm not feeling very well."

    She has a drive to kill Witches living inside of her different from the rest of the Puella Meisters. Her Wish was quietly about salvation but loudly about vengeance. That's why, as long as she can keep killing Familiars and Witches, her Soul Gem will never fully darken.

    If there is an excuse to hunt Witches, she takes it up gladly.

    She will be heading to her battlefield as soon as she is able to be.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    A wide-scale Witch attack? Delusions and hallucinations, self-destructive behavior, Lulu's Soul Gem pulsing to indicate the presence of a very particular type of magic... If it's detectable even from the school, then it's time to do something. Also, it's October, why is it so hot in October, is this opposite world where Japan's seasons are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere, what kind of wacky nonsense is this.

    She raises a hand at the same time as Linda. "Excuse me, I'm feeling light-headed. Can I be excused?" the redhead says with a deadpan tone and expression.

    She will be joining her friends on the same battlefield soon.

Magda Faust has posed:
    <<There is a powerful Witch attacking. Many people are being affected! Come quickly, or they may die without your aid!>> Kyubey sends to Magda. The multi-braided, green-haired, green-eyed girl tries to hide her alarm and how her face has gone a bit pale. She holds up her hand, at the same time as the other two, and says, "Sumimasen! I, um--" But hearing the excuses the other Puellas give, she adjusts to, "...I should probably go with them to make sure they get aid!"
    Y-yeah. That's the ticket. And maybe Madoka will come too. She's the class medical assistant or whatever they're called here, right? That will also give them a chance to coordinate with Madoka so that she doesn't get hurt by going into battle.
    It's fine. Everything will be fine.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka, upon hearing such rumors, has started spending time between classes trying to figure out the pattern between these strange incidents. Fortunately, she doesn't have to do all of that work on her own. Not anymore.

    Those with magical sight might have noticed a tiny fairy following Madoka around recently. She floats in the air, often hiding slightly behind her shoulder or behind one of her pigtails. She wears a white and pink poofy dress, and has her pink hair in a pair of braids. Often it has a tiny notepad in its hands that it occasionally writes things down in. Aside from the dress and pigtails, it kinda looks like a tiny version of Madoka, small enough to fit in one's cupped hands.

    The tiny fairy has been absent for most of the day, but now she bursts into class, flies directly to Madoka, and starts whispering furtively into her ear. Madoka nods as she listens to the magical being that most normal people couldn't see, and starts taking a glance around the room.

    Madoka stands up from her desk and says, "Um... sensei, I have go take care of at the nurse's office. A-also I can help take these two."

    Once getting dismissed, she gets up and leaves in a brisk walk. Her new pink-braided friend follows after her, floating quickly to catch up before hanging from her shoulder.

    It's funny. Madoka should be feeling even more confident than she did before, but somehow she instead feels nervous. The butterflies in her stomach are having a party.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    A Witch is attacking people during the school day when mahous have class. A NEFARIOUS STRATEGY.

    Honestly, given Amy's best theory is they're primordial/fey/otherworldly beings, she's not sure they understand the idea of school. It's probably a coincidence.

    And like, whatever. The first time around, Mallory was a goody-two-shoes who never broke rules, and now knows that doesn't have any particularly positive effect on one's future. Amanda can skip some class and it'll be fine. Especially since some of the staff are in the know about magic, if it comes down to it.

    And her new body provides a heady-made excuse for getting out of anything. It's a week early, but the teachers don't know that. Still, she feels kind of bad, like lying about it is a betrayal to all women, as she clutches her stomach--

> Sensei, I'm not feeling very well.
Excuse me, I'm feeling light-headed. Can I be excused?
    Oh, alright. Amy sits up straight again and raises her hand. She'll just say that--

> Sumimasen! I, um--I should probably go with them to make sure they get aid!
    Amy turns and looks at Magda. Then at the teacher. "If they *both* collapse, Magda will need help, so..."

    Madoka spoke up at the same time. Amy rushes out of the classroom regardless of the teacher's response.

    Once they're out of sight of the others, she pulls out her soul gem, holding it in her palm and tracking the Witch. Others can see that she's got a mostly full tank, so to speak.

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
<<Was it really necessary to make a stop to the Sports Pavillion?>> asks Kyubey, peeking bemusedly at the bat Sayaka is holding.

<<Hey, I know you said you were gathering magical girls at this witch-slaying party, but I got to defend myself if things go wrong>> she notes confidently, skipping ahead fast.

<<Making a wish would be a much better safeguard, Sayaka. Even a Witch's familiars would make quick work of it>>, observes the white cat.

<<That is something I want to keep for last, Kyubey>> notes the bluenette resolutely. <<If you are sending other magical girls after this witch, I doubt I need to actually use this>> Sayaka, comments, tapping her shoulder with the bat for emphasis. <<If things actually go that wrong>>, she adds, <<then I will make a wish, but only then.>>

The duo reaches a particularly desolate alley, when people of all backgrounds are already stoking fires, 1 pm fast approaching now. Their eyes were all but dead, and their necks sports a visible Witch's Kiss, a red circle with two vaguely drawn dark grey eyes in the middle. The fire in the big barrel is by now fully stoked, and the people's hands are already approaching the burning coals.

<<Sayaka, stay still>> Kyubey mentions, noticing the gritting teeth of the bluenette from his vantage position on her shoulder.

<<They are about to hurt themselves, Kyubey! How can I just stand watch!?>> she replies vehemently, looking at the harm those people were about to do to themselves. <<Besides, his is that witch's doing, not something they actually chose?>>

<<Puellas are coming Sayaka, they will...> The critter doesn't end the sentence when Sayaka is already rushing in, giving the barrel a solid hit, coal and sparks flying onto the stone ground, luckily deprived of any flammable material on it. The victim of the Witch are quick to respond, turning their attention towards Sayaka, their gazes not at all welcoming.

"What are you doing!? Stay back!" is Sayaka's panicked reaction to the sudden event, swinging her bat at them to keep them at a distance. Behind her, invisible to most, looms the entrance to the Witch's Labyrinth.

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    Walking quickly, with purpose, but not running, Adalinda moves along with the sudden quartet they have formed, all heading towards the nurse's station... And then not going there. The heat outdoors is noticeably higher than is average for this time of year. Tracking the Witch is easy for Adalinda. She doesn't even need to use her Soul Gem. She can literally smell the rotten scent of a Curse.

    "Follow me," she growls out as she transforms in a flash and begins high-tailing it in the direction of the trouble. Kyubey said it was important. All Witches are important, but that means this one is a priority. That means time is of essence.

    She hasn't commented yet on the little fairy, and doesn't pay much attention to Amy's Soul Gem. Not when prey is waiting.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    "Aa... Feeling so sick on an autumn day like this... So overheated and under the weather... So unfortunate I can't stay in school and learn about whatever that class was!" Lulu announces while walking along with the others, arms folded behind her head, somehow managing to keep pace. Must be due to her Wish or something. She is very physically capable!

    "Such a pain, such a pain~..." she goes on, really hamming it up while sounding totally unconcerned.

    Then the moment they're outside, Adalinda hits the ground running. Lulu blinks. "H-hey! Wait up!" She transforms while she runs.

    A red length of fabric flows down over her, obscuring her from view, and then clinging closely to her body like it was suctioned on. As the fabric unravels around her arms, they reveal a pair of big black boxing gloves, her legs are left bare, while sparring tape is wrapped around her black boxing shoes. Her Soul Gem shines through the fabric, bright red, and draws the rest of the material inwards, like the Soul Gem just slurped it up. Then a band of red forms around her waist, turning into a black belt with a golden championship medal as the buckle, and her Soul Gem at the center of it. Black athletic shorts replace her skirt when she slams her gloved fists together, sending out a ripple of red rings. A sound like a bell being rung to start a match sounds as all that excess fabric flows out behind herm turning into a cape, which knots itself in a cute bow over her white sleeveless top.

    Now in Puella Magi Form, Lulu isn't far behind Adalinda as her already noteworthy athletic ability it turned superhuman!

    "Why is a Witch casting such a wide net if it's strong enough to affect people this much? Is it an anomaly?" she asks while leaping off a rooftop.

    They'll figure out the details when they arrive, which should be very soon, but it's worth asking questions!

    "Oh, Madoka," she says, turning to where she expects another Puella Magi to be. "Congrats on making your Wish! Did you Wish for a fairy? That's so cute!" If Madoka is actually there or not is another question.

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda's transformation occurs in a flash of green and white, since she has already shown her henshin sequence in the past. Conservation of Mahou and all. "H-hey, wait!" They were barely out of the building. "Oh, um, do you need me to carry you, Madoka-chan, or can you...?" she says, likewise assuming a Wish has been made. Why else would Madoka have a fairy? Like, that's literally the only explanation! If she has to stay behind a few extra seconds to make sure her new Japanese friend is safe and able to get to her destination in a timely fashion, she'll do it.
    Though the pressure of arriving in time to rescue anyone affected by this heat wave and any Witches' Kisses sprinkled upon them is also weighing heavily on her mind.
    Kyubey's telepathy has range limitations, but he was able to get the message out to her at least... Does that mean he's nearby? (Or just that he had one of his bodies nearby, not that she knows that's a thing) She tries to reach him from her end of things, and will keep trying until she's in-range to ask if Sayaka is with him.
    She has noticed certain patterns of behavior with Kyubey-san, after all.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Thanks, by the way. You saved me having to lie to get out of class." Amanda notes softly as they walk down the hall.

    Once Adalinda transforms, so does she--An ovoid of flame-colored light growing from her gem to surround her, enveloping her, lifting into the air with her unclothed silhouette curled up inside, long hair floating as if she's under water, before the light cracks and shatters and Amy, now covered in flames as if from an explosion, snaps back, and the flames fade to leave her new outfit in place. The viewers, were this an anime, would see a long, extended sequence highlighting each step of the transformation, and the flames disappearing from each part of her body in turn to leave that part of her magical girl outfit -- red chestplate, red circle skirt with a black belt with a pair of pouches, armored red kneepads and armored white boots with red trim, a white bodysuit from the neck down under it all, white gloves with red trim, and finally a white hooded cloak -- but for any observers here, it's all over in a flash, ending with the red-themed Puella hitting the ground running as the last of the flames dissipate from her outfit.

> Why is the Witch casting a wide net?
    "Why not? More humans for it to feed off of, right? Have you ever had a cat? They'll kill way more than they need to -- and who knows if it's even possible for a Witch to overfeed?"

    Also, Madoka has a fairy. "Umm... what *is* that?" She's never seen a Puella with a companion yet, but it doesn't look like a a Cure's fairy, either.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka shows up with several 'out sick' magical girls, and has clearly taken them to a place that is very much Not the nurse's office. At the question regarding her fairy, Madoka gives Lulu and Amy an awkward glance. "Actually, this is a Chara. Her name is Brai. She kinda hatched from an egg. I'm not sure I understand it fully yet, but I didn't get her from Kyubey." To Magda, she shakes her head, "I should fine on my own now. Thank you."

    'Should be', she says.

    As she approaches the entrance to the back alley where the Witch hides, Madoka peeks around the corner instead of rushing in. Brai floats over her head to peek, too.

    "Brai, what do I do?" asks Madoka. "Is that Sayaka-chan?"

    "Um... well... I think..." The little fairy fidgets while the pinkette gets increasingly worried and impatient.

    "I'm going in!" declares Madoka, before turning the corner and dashing towards the crowd.

    "Wait!" shouts Brai, flying in after her. "Um... Chara Change! Become a fire safety inspector!"

    A thick fire blanket appears in Madoka's arms as she jogs forward, and for the moment she acts like this is a perfectly normal thing to have happen. When she reaches the back of the crowd, she leaps over them in a single bound and lands right next to Sayaka, dropping the fire blanket over the spilled coals before stomping on the blanket to smother whatever's left of the flames. Turning to the approaching crowd. She then loudly declares in a firm yet cheery and helpful tone, "Excuse me, but you're crowding the exit! There's danger here, so please turn around and leave in an orderly fashion!" as if she expects that to work.

    A moment later she regains her senses and turns to the tiny fairy. "Brai-chan! They're not going to listen to that!"

    "U-um... I'm sorry!" The shy fairy hesitantly glances this way and that, clearly unsure. "Um... Chara Change! Become a fisher!"

    Madoka, before she has the chance to complain to her Chara, suddenly has a weighted net in her hands. She throws it wide over the crowd. A moment later she inspects her work and mutters, "Eheh... I'm not sure this is actually safer..."

    Turning to Sayaka and Kyubey, she asks, "Are you okay, Sayaka-chan?"

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    The attempts to relay telepathic messages are 'audible' to other Puella Magi on the school grounds. Kyubey acts as a relay, but they can still transmit to each other when he's not around. However that works isn't important. It's magic, after all. So, Teresia Kuefer is aware that something is going on, both from rumors heard during lunch and the telepathic traffic in her vicinity. She was prepared to let her juniors handle it, but when she hears Magda trying to ask about Sayaka... The girl from the hospital...

    Suspicion narrows her eyes, as she remembers her conversation with Homura in that Labyrinth frozen in time. Homura distrusts Kyubey deeply. More so than even someone who regrets their Wish, by Teresia's estimation. Homura Akemi knows something she hasn't revealed yet. And considering all that the other Veteran has revealed...

    Teresia considers Kyubey to be the closest equivalent to a friend he is able to be.

    'I'm surprised you still consider him a friend.' Homura had said.

    Just as she had hinted to Homura in order to reveal her secret... Was Homura trapped in a curse of her own? A secret she cannot easily divulge? If so, were there hints in their interactions?

    It's fine. Her juniors are capable young women. They can stop a single Witch and save a civilian... Especially if Kyubey is involved. She knows his modis operandi, whether she agrees with it or not.

    But just in case they don't...

    It takes a few minutes longer for Teresia, but eventually the tall blonde foreigner raises her hand, and says, "Excuse me. I think I need to go to the nurse's station."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka is still batting at the crowd, keeping them at a distance when the fire safety inspector Madoka calls out for the crowd to leave the place in an olderly fashion. "Madoka-chan!?", she asks, surprise and worry in her voice. "What are you doing here?" That second of distraction is all it takes for a member of the crowd to rip the bat away Sayaka's grip and toss it away, a dull thud being heard across the alley when the bat lands onto the dirty ground.

Fortunately the incoming net from Madoka's next Chara Change is enough to stop the people threatening her from actually doing anything to Sayaka, the weights being enough to hold them back as they struggle against the net's ropes.

"What is going on here, Madoka-chan? How did you change so quickly? What's that fairy next to you? Did you make a contract with Kyubey?" is the barrade of questions coming out, the concern over Madoka spilling out everything from her mouth, only really bothering with recovering her bat to deal with any surprises coming from the trapped people.

<<Congratulations on your Guardian Egg, Madoka>> Kyubey comments, staring at the pinkette, still having kept his place on Sayaka's shoulder despite the ruckus. He doesn't address the subject more than that before mentioning <<We should proceed onto addressing the witch while your net keeps those people in place.>>

On Sayaka's part, she looks confused at Madoka. "What's a Guardian Egg, Madoka-chan?"

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    Adalinda lands nearby and begins the standard process taught to her by Teresia. "Contain and disable the vectors, help any bystanders, make sure no one enters the Barrier." The elegant, gothic Puella Magi goes up on one heel, moving lightly in her voluminous black skirts. "No one enter the Labyrinth alone." Then she launches herself forth, spinning through the air, and launching low-intensity blasts of magic energy to extinguish fires, knock heat sources out of the hands of the Witch Kissed, and some of the blasts transmute when they hit the Witch Kissed, turning into lengths of chains instead of dealing damage, to keep any stragglers out of harm's way.

    From there, it's just a matter of releasing a pulse of magic into each individual to knock them out for a while. Teresia has taught them all such useful tricks. Adalinda is just a better student than most. "Save your firepower for the Witch." she calls out, to make sure the newbie is aware as well. "Here." she says while kneeling next to a tied-up firebug. "Faust-san. I'll teach you something." Adalinda gestures for the non-green-haired Faust to join her.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu looked over briefly, blinku blinku'd when she realized Madoka wasn't next to her after all, and then 'huh'd as she killed her momentum in mid-air by somersaulting in place, and then kicked off the air to plunge straight down. She focuses her empathic abilities to identify any civilian bystanders being menaced by these firestarters, or anyone hiding who might need a magical girl to come rescue them. She can offer a hand and a smile to anyone like that. No one is going to get caught in a fire here.

    She'll get the low-down on Madoka's power-up later. Or right now, if she can overhear it.

Magda Faust has posed:
    "O-oh..." Magda replies. She is still pretty unfamiliar with other kinds of magical girls, even if she is aware they exist. She looks towards Amy to see what she thinks of that, but is probably the last Puella Magi to get a move-on one way or another. Arriving on the scene, she hangs back while Madoka becomes a fire fighter or something. She isn't sure how to respond to that. But then she's a fisher! She isn't sure how to respond to that either, but at least some of these poor people have been netted. "Ah... So... Do you still need Grief Seeds? What is your new Kyubey like? Oh! Is that her?" She focuses on the fairy. "Brai-chan, right? Are you Madoka-chan's new Kyubey?" she asks, wide-eyed and innocent and not very bright.
    She knows betterthan to try to remove a Witch's Kiss by herself... She learned that the hard way at the hospital. The curse she breaks just flows into her instead, and when her Soul Gem's magical pathway is open in order to heal someone... Well... The curse goes directly into her Soul Gem. Not a good idea.
    So, instead, she will just go around applying minor healing to anyone who has burns, helping to sedate them with little syringes of magically-created tranquilizer, and other tasks that a hyper-specialized healer can do.

    She waves a hand and says, "Hi, Sayaka-chan! It's me! Magda! Good job keeping her safe, Kyubey."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Brai frowns at Kyubey's congratulations. That's not the way Gretchen explained things when discussing Kyubey's reaction. It probably says a lot that a borderline youma is considered more trustworthy than a mascot, but Gretchen is a part of Madoka and Madoka doesn't lie if she can help it. Madoka decides that now is not the time to quibble with Kyubey, and says, "Thanks, Kyubey. I'm sorry I didn't end up making a Wish after all, but that doesn't mean I can't help with Witches!"

    Brai finally catches up to Madoka, and tugs on her sleeve. "Speaking of... we should probably go inside. I hate leaving them out here, but if we can beat the Witch quickly they'll be safe!"

    Madoka nods, then smiles to Sayaka. "I'll explain later, but the short answer is that I wanted to become a magical girl so badly that my dream turned into an egg! So... I'm kindof a magical girl now, but I'm still new." To Magda's questions, she adds, "No, I don't really need Grief Seeds. The limits on my power are a bit different. I decided that if I get a Grief Seed I'll just give it to the nearest Puella Magi, and since you're all here, well..."

    Brai shyly hides behind Madoka's pigtail as she looks at Magda. "U-um... hi... I'm Brai, and I'm one of Madoka's Chara. Y-you could say I'm kinda like her mascot, but I'm also her henshin device... s-sorta..."

    Taking a look at the crowd, Madoka gives them a nervous, awkward glace. "I'm not really sure it's good to leave them out here, but..." Suddenly Adalinda is knocking them out with magic, so it looks like that problem is handled for the short turn. "Thanks!" she calls out.

    With the immediate symptoms seemingly dealt with, Madoka turns to address the underlying problem. As she runs towards the entrance to the Labyrinth, Brai declares again, "Chara Change! Become someone who can fight Witches!"

    A wooden bow appears in Madoka's hands. That's it. That's the costume change. She doesn't get a proper henshin sequence or magic armor. There's no Veil hiding her face, not that it would matter in this case. It's a good thing that she's gained a lot of agility because her school uniform isn't going to do much.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    If Magda can read the other Faust well, Amy seems to be the only one of her comrades *not* assuming that Madoka contracted -- but she's not at all sure what *did* happen, not even making up a theory like she does about Witches; She's puzzled and curious.

    Upon seeing the problem with the civilians, Amy was going to try and find the Labyrinth while others deal with them, but... Madoka... has it handled? What kind of magic was that? Also, *Adalinda* has it handled, with a versatile array of magic unlike she's seen in anyone's hands. "How did you learn to do all that?!" Upon being called, she runs right up to Adalinda, eager to learn some magical trick, though she does focus on Madoka long enough to hear the pinkette's explanation and see her 'transform'. Huh. "I didn't know you did archery."

    Anyway, she turns to Adalinda, eager to learn whatever she's about to be shown!

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Magda-san!" Sayaka's eyes open in recognition. She reserves the medical Puella a grin when she administers with tranquilizers.

She has turns towards Adalinda, who had knocked the crowd out previously, and bows towards her. "I am Miki Sayaka", the bluenette introduces herself. "Kyubey told me you were coming, glad to be here with you."

She looks at the bow Madoka summoned. "That's so pretty Madoka-chan, it suits you perfectly", she beams at her friend, before realising the rest of what she said.

"You became a magical girl?" Sayaka repeats in confusion. "But Kyubey said..."

<<I did not believe Madoka could achieve a Guardian Egg, Sayaka. And without that assurance or my wishes, introducing her to witches would have been an unnecessary risk>> he explains himself, calming Sayaka's worries and confusion. <<Of course, now that she has proven herself, that is not a problem anymore, and you can go back to talking to each other.>>

"Can that help Kyousuke?" is Sayaka's next question, to which Kyubey shakes his head. <<Not really. Guardian Eggs are focused on growing your own potential. They can help others, but not as directly as the miracle Kyousuke would need.>>

"I get that", Sayaka replies, before following Madoka into the Witch's Labyrinth. To any that would do the same, a rudely assembled together puzzle of a once bountiful land awaits them on the other side, with wizened and cruel dead-looking trees, everything else either ashes or being burned, observing rocks everywhere, rudimentary walls dotting the landscape with eldritch runes on them.



https://imgur.com/iFiAleA

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    Adalinda nods and replies, "Adalinda Blumenkrantz. We've met." She's more focused on making sure nobody gets hurt, so she doesn't turn to provide any further greeting right this moment. Instead, when Amy reaches her, she says, "Hold out your hand, with your fingers spread. Palm aimed at your target. Magic is very personal, and varies between individuals in application, as well as how it feels or the mental image someone uses. At least as I was taught it, intent is important when using magic. That means that, no matter how you envision it, you must sincerely intend for the magic you use not to harm someone if you want to use it non-lethally. You can't just shoot at someone and change your mind about hurting them partway through, or hope they're strong enough not to die from it when facing someone tough..."

    She puts her palm on the back of one of the people she has subdued, fingers splayed. "There are other factors, like control, output, the Origin of your power, and so on... But my only intent is to make sure this person doesn't hurt themself or others." She releases a pulse of magic, like a small shockwave or ripple effect. It doesn't deal any damage, but the Witch Kissed individual passes out afterwards and stops struggling against the chains. Adalinda allows said chains to dissolve, sparing herself the magic to maintain it.

    "I am commanding them to sleep when I use it. In my head. It's like how we communicate through telepathy, but I am focusing it on someone who can't hear it, trying to just order their body to fall asleep. Or maybe I'm commanding their soul..." She puts her other hand to her chin thoughtfully. "...Either way, affecting one affects the other, and it does no harm. They'll wake up eventually, and by then the Witch will be dead."

    She puts her fingers over Amy's, so their hands are mirroring each other, and then produces the same ripple of magic, but without any intent. Just a release of energy. Sparkling pieces of the universe.

    "This is how Teresia taught me. She let me get a feel for it, and then figure out the application on my own." After a moment, she becomes aware that they are missing one pinkette and one bluenette. "...." Hand is withdrawn, and she is up on her feet.

    <<Madoka went into the Barrier, and I don't see Sayaka or Kyubey. Wrap up what you're doing and join me inside.>> she sends to the remaining Puella Magi before dashing to the entrance, the Soul Gem centered over her heart glowing to permit her passage within.

    "...How many times did we say never to enter a Labyrinth alone, Madoka-san?" she's saying before she has even fully entered.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    "Eeehhh?" she lets out as she hears the explanation of Chara Eggs. She still understands nothing about it. "So, it's basically a different type of Soul Gem. A Soul Egg. A Chara Gem. Right, I got it!" She does not got it. Once she verifies nobody else is in danger, she glances towards Amy and Adalinda, then turns to check on Magda and make sure she isn't overexerting herself agai--Oh goddammit. "On it!" she calls out, entering the Barrier half a second after Adalinda, fists up and ready to punch things. "Okay! Looks like we've got some stones and some trees and some stones and a lot more stones! Where should I start? Sniff 'em out, Linda!"

    Pause. "Also, Madoka, I am so disappointed in you." Ouch.

Magda Faust has posed:
    "Okay, everyone is stable. Any injuries should heal on their own at an accelerated pace. The burns will take a bit longer, but I've applied magic to them so they shouldn't be too bad." Magda looks up, smiling towards Sayaka. But Sayaka is gone. "Eeeeh..." She scans around. Amy is over there with Linda, Lulu is searching behind boxes and underneath stray cats for anyone in need of aid, or whatever she's doing... Where are Madoka and Sayaka?
    She has a sinking feeling in her stomach, right before the announcement is made to wrap up and get inside. She scrambles, flustered, and clumsier than the others, as she calls out, "I'm coming too!" She will enter the Labyrinth a few seconds after Lulu. "Aah! Is everyone okay? I was worried when you went missing, Sayaka-chan! And Madoka-chan, you might have magic now, but you saw how dangerous these can be! If you got hurt on your first outing as a magical girl, as your senpai I... I'd never forgive myself!" she wails, her green eyes big and watery.
    Oh, yeah, also, there's a Witch here somewhere, watch out for that, girls, because Magda isn't.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    There's talk of Kyousuke, and guardian eggs, but Amy is having HER VERY FIRST MAGIC LESSON and is focused on that.

    Once, when he was in like 4th or 5th grade, Mallory read a book about purported psychic powers, and the descriptions of supposed psychic healers using their powers was a lot like this. She wonders if thinking of it that way -- imagining you're forming a sort of energy channel between you and the target, and pushing energy into them -- will help here. She'll have to experiment later. She stares in wonder at the ripple of magic released against her hand, and puts both her hand's around Adalinda's to give her a handshake. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll practice it soon!" An *actual magic lesson*. So cool!

    Barrier time. "They found it already?" She walks with Adalinda. "Eh? Madoka went too, so technically they're not alone." But, yes, she still feels that they should urgently join the civilian and untested mahou.

    And then:

    ...Yep, that's a strange world alright. Amy focuses on the details, the visuals. Trying to notice how things don't look right, don't look like reality. She looks at her friends. She looks at *herself*. Does she cast a shadow? If she holds out a hand, does it cast a shadow on her body?

    Damn, she wishes she could remember what science experiments she wanted to try in a Labyrinth if she ever got the chance. This is twice now they've gotten a peaceful moment in a With Labyrinth--obviously, she can't just go do science instead of finding the Witch, but if she had plans ready, even spending just several seconds doing experiments when she gets an opportunity like this would probably let her learn a lot about Labyrinths!

    Oh, there's another thought. She closes her eyes to check if she can still see. And squats down to touch the ground to see if it feels the same when she's not looking at it.

    Those tests done, she opens her eyes and stands up, looking at Kyubey curiously. "You know, I was wondering something: What makes a good candidate for a Puella Magi? How do you know who too offer contracts, Kyubey?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Thank you, Sayaka-chan!" says Madoka, in response to the compliment. Truth is, this is the first time she's summoned her bow, and she hasn't taken the time to look at it.

    Once inside the Labyrinth, bow in hand, Madoka takes a step forward. Her other hand rests on the drawstring, two fingers hooked around it. Despite the fact that, as Amanda said, Madoka is not well known for doing archery it seems like she already knows how to handle a bow. A thin pink line appears between her fingers, glowing with faint magical power. Every part of her body tenses up. She takes a deep breath.

    "It's okay," she mutters to herself. "You're not alone. The others are here."

    Things are different now, and there's no denying that fact for Madoka. It's a different mindset. Until now, she's always tried to stay out of direct danger by avoiding being a combatant. This had... varying degrees of success, but it mostly worked. Today, she will surely draw aggro from the Witch and her minions, and she knows that.

    Sensing her Chara Bearer's hesitation, Brai tries to use magic to encourage her. "Chara Ch--"

    "Don't." Madoka cuts her off. "It's not necessary. Thank you, Brai-chan, but I'll be okay for now."

    The Chara Bearer waits a moment at the Labyrinth's Barrier for the others to come in, and takes this time to glance around. The landscape is bleak, even for a Labyrinth. She doesn't spot any obvious Familiars yet. The Witch runes seem... strangely alien to her in a way that they didn't before. They've always been unusual, but it always felt like there was something inside of her which 'knew' what they meant, even if it never shared its insight. Now that part of her is silent. Or gone. Did Gretchen take those secrets with her when she left?

    She turns around to hear Adalinda chiding her for rushing in. The pinkette scratches the back of her head and gives the more experienced mahou an embarrassed look. "Eheh. I mean, you're all here too, right?" Lulu joins in on the chiding and Madoka cringes a bit. Oof. "C'mon... it's not that bad..." By the time Magda comes in she's out of excuses.

    Brai is hiding in Madoka's pigtails. She wants no part of this.

    "W-well we're all in here now, right? We should... probably try to find the Witch! Eheh..." Madoka is embarrassed. Now it's awkward.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka looks with annoyance at Adalinda and Lulu. "Leave Madoka alone, she was only doing what she thought was right to help people!" The bluenette positions herself between Madoka and the other two magical girls, as if their eyes could poison her feiend. She stares at the two of them intensely, not approving of the complaints at all.

She looks at Magda with a bit less edge, taking her speech better due to the worry there being more apparent to her. "It's alright, Brai-chan and Kyubey are here, so she wasn't by herself!"

The white cat takes this moment to answer Amy's question. <<That's one of my duties, Amy, to measure the potential within a girl and verify it can grant her wish.>>

As for Amy's unspoken query, nothing looks actually out of place, besides noticing a sort of warm, comforting and pleasing light their body emits if you squint, which does interfere a bit with their shadows.

With Madoka intending to find the Witch, the familiars seems to respond to the call, a group of identical Coyote of the same style as the world around them, running straight to every magical girl, 1 for each, their rudely assembled fangs well visible.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    A-HA! Now that she's *looking* for details, she notices a soft glow around everyone. She must be seeing -- no, *perceiving* their essential them-ness! The lack of shadows is to be expected, because the physical laws of optics only apply inside reality. Amanda smiles, extremely pleased with herself for being clever enough to figure out more about how Witch Labyrinths definitely work. Although, why can't she see the glow with her eyes closed? Maybe she has to try harder? Maybe she has to know someone is there to see^H^H^Hperceive the glow and she needs vision for that? Hmm, more things to try later, when there aren't RUDE WOLVES.

    The number is low. One per person? She just turns towards the one headed for her, suddenly has her rocket launcher on her shoulder, and fires. Since new rounds instantly, magically appear in the launch tube after firing, she doesn't even have to reload, so she can probably spare an extra shot or two to cover anyone whose powers are less suitable for wolf-stopping.

    When she next gets a moment to speak, she asks Kyubey, "But how do you measure that potential, what determines it? And why aren't you glowing?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Oh geeze. Madoka winces as Sayaka steps up. She appreciates being stood up for, but she doesn't really want an argument right now.

    Fortunately, they're being attacked by coyote Familiars, so there's a distraction. She wont have to be lectured anymore if she gets mauled to death!

    "They're here!" calls out the new Chara Bearer, drawing her bow as the thin pink line suddenly erupts with pink light, growing in length and intensity. "Sayaka-chan... I hate to say it, but that bat wont do much. I know Kyubey invited you to see the Labyrinth, but only magical items can help you here. Stay behind us and just watch, okay?"

    Madoka either doesn't have the ability to hand Sayaka an enchanted item, or doesn't yet know how to.

    As the coyotes get closer, Madoka plants both of her feet in the ground and draws the line even further back, letting the arrow glow more brightly and grow larger before unleashing it. Her inexperienced hands mess up her aim, but that turns out not to matter as the bright pink arrow curves in the air to home in on the approaching Familiar. "They... can change direction," she mutters to herself, before trying something else.

    She draws her string back again, this time holding several thin pink lines in her hand, each of them glowing more intensely before she unleashes a torrent of arrows upon the same approaching monster, saturating the area between herself and the coyote with glorious pink death, refusing to allow the murderous creature even the bare minimum chance of escape.

    "So that's how it is," she mutters thoughtfully.

    Brai adds, "Most new Bearers have trouble at this part, since it's easy to doubt what they're seeing. You seem to be taking to it pretty naturally."

    Madoka laughs sheepishly. "Maybe that's because I already knew magic existed?"

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    "...I just don't want to see any more dead bodies." she says quietly at the reprimand from Sayaka and Brai, as she stares back blankly. When Familiars show up, Adalinda is quick to surge forwards to intercept them. Her Henshin costume extends outwards along her right arm, the fabric hardening into a thin blade. She slashes at the coyote, the thinness of her blade having no influence on its effectiveness.

    She'll turn to the next target, not waiting for an ally to have to deal with them. Magda's comes first, since presumably Sayaka is not being targeted. Otherwise, the order is reversed. She moves very quickly. Her dress's frills form into little hardened 'pockets' that extend outwards and become something like jet verniers or nozzles for expelling magic, making her movements both extremely agile, and extremely quick. The Familiar is not going to reach Magda in one piece.

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda nods in response to Sayaka. "Right... I've just... Seen her hurt badly before. So..." But back then, Madoka wasn't Magica(l). There's no further time to discuss things, when Familiars show up. She moves closer to Sayaka, knowing her role. She is support here, but she can still protect a civilian. "It's okay Sayaka-chan! I've done this before! ...A few times! J-just stay close to me and Kyubey, okay? Madoka and everyone will definitely keep us safe!"
    She says while Adalinda zips around like an anime mecha, slashing with her sleeve-sword.
    She didn't miss what Linda said to Sayaka, but...
    Now's not the time, and Magda feels the same way. Their home town was crushed by a terrible Witch. She could only save a handful of people, relative to the total number of casualties. She never wants to see that much death again.
    Once was too many times.
    She has some syringes tucked between her fingers like a ninja's kunai, ready to throw if the enemy does anything tricky. She just shivers at the creepy coyote creatures' appearance, and hopes she won't have to use her throwing needles.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    "Okay, okay! I get it!" Lulu puts up her gloves (not like that, just putting her hands up like she's surrendering). "Things are different now. Let's focus on getting the job done. Rules for Labyrinths: Never go into one alone, don't trust anything or anyone that we didn't bring in with us, don't antagonize Familiars but eliminate them promptly if they become hostile... Uhh... Oh, yeah, and the Witch isn't dead until the Labyrinth collapses."

    She is reciting all this to herself while coyote Familiars are running at them. "Right, good, okay! Ready tooo..." She spins around, her red cape swirling around her, and then stands with her arms straight and pointed backwards, one leg forward and knee bent, and the other leg out behind her. "...GO!" she yells as she practically flies forwards and tries to punch one of the coyotes into the dirt with a super strong magical boxing gloved fist!

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka does a double take when Madoka is the one to tell her to stand back from the Coyote, but reason wins out, leaving the bluenette to give her friend a nod and retreating behind her, saying "Stay alert, Madoka-chan".

Meanwhile the Coyote familiars have started approaching, their dirty grey fur making them stand out against the burning and charred landscape. Their rudely assembled bodies move erratically towards the group, the creatures observing them with famelic deep crimson eyes. "Are all familiars this weird?" Sayaka asks squeamishly to the group, her grip solid on the useless bat she brought along.

The explosions from Amy's missile obliterate the one heading towards her quite thoroughly, fine black mist showing itself after the missiles have finished doing their job.

The familiars get to jumping on the group, just as Madoka's arrows penetrate another, which dissolves in fine black mist too, a happy and enthusiastic shout from Sayaka echoing behind the sound of the arrows, "Great job, Madoka-chan", and yet kind of hesitant.

At the same time, Lulu goes to strike another with her fist. That one tries to intercept her with its fangs, but the punch breaks its way into the familiar's throat, breaking its body that way and leaving it as yet more mist.

Likewise, Adalinda's thin blade, which seems all the smaller against the big forms of the familiars, makes short work of hers and the one directed to Magda, and the fine black mist from the two of them slowly deposits on the ground.

Kyubey shakes off a bit of the mist which had attached itself to hiss fur in the confusion, before replying to Amy <<Each prospective magical girl's potential is determined by her karma and the spectrum of her soul. The more tangled by karma she is, and the wider the spectrum is, the better that magical girl is going to be. It's not rare for the most potent magical girls to have had enough karma to change the course of your history. Regarding my lack of a glow, I would assume it is marking you as a user of magic, potential or otherwise.>> If he could shrug when giving the last answer, he would.

The fine black mist from the destroyed familiars is still there, resting on the ground or floating harmlessly in the yet again silent atmosphere, before a tremor starts starts shaking the earth, giving the impression the observing stones are erupting in fits of laughter. The black mist gathers together, forming yet more runes: https://imgur.com/QbPvTeU

As if ordering them to get themselves killed, or perhaps attracted from the noise of the fight, 9 more Coyote show up, this time completely ignoring Magda too, equally dividing themselves among the three magical girls that have demonstrated their fighting prowess.

<<I doubt this witch is going to let up>> comments Kyubey. <<If we want to get anywhere, we should strike decisively to drive her out.>> The white cat places himself around Sayaka's neck at this moment, to have a more balanced position than her shoulder.

Amanda Faust has posed:
> Are all familiars this weird?
    "Okay so," Amy asks, "Clarification: Is Familiar just a word for any denizen, or *apparent* denizen, of a Labyrinth beside the Witch? Or for any apparent creature that interacts with you here? Or is it something else? I mean, does it have some other significance? Also: Nice shootin', Madoka!" She figures Madoka is new at this, so.

> Kyubey: Exposit.
    Amy listens. "...Tangled by karma? Spectrum? Like... it depends on how good or bad we have the potential to be?"

    As for the glow, she squints at him, closes her eyes in vain attempt to see the glows on others with her eyes closed, and then opens them again.

    The stones laugh, and there's a message. And nine more coyotes. "Oh f---. Is this some kind of language puzzle? Is the witch gonna keep us trapped here?! With a *translation* puzzle?!" She's shouting by the end of the sentence.

    She fires more rockets. Judging by how well they handled the previous group, they can handle this one too, Amy figures -- but if there's a *next* group they might be in trouble.

    Amy... between firing rockets... appears to be arguing with the sky. "'And then they died because they couldn't solve a puzzle' isn't much of a story, you know!"

    Beat.

    She tries narrating: "And then they solved the puzzle and were one step closer to the Witch!"

    Beat.

    "Strike decisively at *what*? Okay, maybe... maybe if we just *move*?" She proposes, and is ready to run whichever way people are willing to go, though she won't run off on her own.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "We can talk about it later," says Madoka, but she does say to her childhood friend, "Sayaka-chan, their concerns are pretty reasonable. I appreciate you standing up for me, but please don't be mad at them."

    Maybe at some point after this, Madoka will tell Sayaka about the Witch that tried to drown them via time shenanigans, or the exact details of how she ended up in the hospital a while back. She'll also have something to say about the nature of Wishes, and why she chose not to make one. All of that will have to wait. For now, Madoka has a lot to focus on.

    "Inefficiency is death, Madoka-chan," is Brai's grim advice. "Be optimal!"

    "Right, right," responds Madoka to her small mascot. "In that case, it's probably best if I act as fire support. Since I can direct my arrows in flight, we don't have to worry as much about friendly fire."

    As the swarms of Coyotes come, Madoka starts exploiting the fact that her magic doesn't come from a Soul Gem. In other words, she spams. Drawing multiple arrows at a time, charging them, then loosing them into the air before drawing the next volley. Lather rinse repeat. Once the magic bolts are in the sky, they curve downward and rain over the incoming Familiars, hoping to thin their numbers or soften them up before they can reach the Puella front line of Lulu and Adalinda.

    Brai hears Amy's questions and comments, and says, "Well, karma's not really a matter of good or bad. It's a matter of attachment. So if you can influence a lot of lives, you have a lot of karmic potential. Think like... historical figures."

    At the mention of a language puzzle, Brai shakes her head, "No, that probably isn't it... I hope..."

    "Strike decisively where?" asks Madoka. "Do we have to flush her out?"

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    A large enemy just means a bigger target and that they bleed out faster, typically. Adalinda performs a quick survey of the situation, and then calls to the others after landing from her jet-boosted movements, "Stay close to me! I'll track the Witch." She can literally smell Witches. She will hunt down the central chamber much faster by following that smell than by running around randomly or waiting for the Witch to drag them in to be killed.

    Her temper is a bit short, as she hears Amy's rambling. "This is not the time. Please save these questions for when we're done here." she snaps, and then takes off, only to come up short when more Familiars appear. "Tch! This is what happens when we waste time!"

    Adalinda's dress shifts into a secondary configuration. It's not truly a second henshin, but she treats it as such. A reoptimization of combat options and an accompanying psychological shift to more easily handle the horrors associated with fighting a Witch. Also, a heavy mechanical construct of elegant design appears in her hands and begins roaring hungrily. The magic chainsaw that chews through magic about as quickly as it chews through enemies is out.

    Her dress, now more of a black gown, flares with dozens of pinpoints of purple light, before those pinpoints blaze brightly and begin acting as a combination of maneuvering verniers and jet propulsion. She's not as fast as Teresia. Nobody can be.

    But as Witch Hunter, she's as close as most Puella Magi can hope to get.

    A streak of black and purple begins flying around the battlefield, the flash and roar of her weapon of choice as it arcs towards a Familiar the most clear signs of her proximity and location.

Magda Faust has posed:
    "Eeehhh..." Magda lets out in a mix of uncertainty and anxiety. What would Teresia-senpai do in a situation like this? "Madoka-chan is covering the distant ones. Amy-chan, your missiles can provide area attack coverage, and if anything bigger than the Familiars shows up you will be our first line of defense by softening it up! Be careful not to fire rockets into the melee fighters...! And um..." Why is she trying to give directions here? Madoka is already doing that. Adalinda is already doing that. Amy and Lulu and even Kyubey could all do this.
    She looks towards Sayaka, the only person here with limited ability to defend herself, even compared to Magda. Keeping everyone safe is why she's doing this.
    She takes in a deep breath, puts up one arm with her index finger pointed towards the heavens! >_<
    Is she going to give an inspiring speech!?
    "A Familiar is a Witch's creature, whether it's defending the Labyrinth or is hunting on its own outside of a Barrier! Karmic potential is the overall motivating force one has to change or affect the destinies of others! If this is a Puzzle Witch, we are in trouble, as they are much harder to deal with while already under attack!" She shivers at the laughing rocks. Oh gosh that's so creepy. Amy's rockets are fired off, and Magda is trying to stay focused and not jump every time there's an explosion. She can do this!
    "Also, a Labyrinth is a Witch's own world, crafted by her own curse and reflecting her own will! We probably can not dictate what happens here the way a Witch can, even if the rules are set up to allow it! Aaaaah! What else! What else! Uhhh... Hoi!" She throws a syringe towards Lulu, hoping to give her a small boost of energy. Adalinda's Soul Gem replenishes every tme she kills a Familiar or Witch, so she's fine for now. If it looks like Madoka is in trouble, she'll see if she can energize the archer. Hopefully their magic is compatible!
    "Oh, also, maybe we can find the Witch more easily by finding Linda--I mean Witch Hunter. She can smell Witches, and track them, like a, a..." What's the word for a dog? A wolf? Anything!? "...Wan wan!" You idiot! "I'm an idiot!" she wails. T_T

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu shakes her arm as she jumps back. She shakes her arm out with a grossed-out look on her face. "I thought punching someone's teeth down their throat was just a figure of speech. Ugh." As three more huge coyotes come for her, Lulu backs off, letting arrow spam and rockets reduce the numbers as much as possible. Witch Hunter continues to show off why she is Teresia's favorite, even if Adalinda was the last one among the Puella Meisters to make a contract.

    She looks back at the quartet clustered at the back, sensing unease and anxiety. "Don't worry! Everything is under control! Even if it's a Puzzle Witch we can figure it out! And if not, I'm sure 'Linda will just carve her way through anyway! Witches and their creations are super vulnerable to her because of her Wish--OhmyGodaneedle." Lulu catches sight of the syringe flying at her and catches it between her gloves. "Whew. S-saaaaafe!" she says with a sweatdrop and a shaky grin. She injects herself with the syringe's contents, and the colors of her Puella outfit seem to become more vibrant as the wind gathers beneath her cape. "I don't solve puzzles. I just hit them with my fist. So I really hope somebody else is working at cracking this one!"

    She takes in a deep breath and lets it out as she slams her gloves together. "So believe in me as I do what I can do! Because I believe in all of you as you do what you can do!" Then she is launching into the fray again, fists flying!

    She's not as good at the speeches as Teresia, but her Empathy Sense allows her to draw strength from others. If they have confidence in her... She'll become all the more capable.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Kyubey shakes his head. <<Familiar are servants of the Witch generated by its own power. They typically reside in a Witch's Labyrinths, but on occasion they have been proven to escape the Barrier and wander around, ammassing kills until they eventually mature into Witches of their own. And yes, they do usually tend to this level of anormality, Sayaka.>>

"I will let you deal with things, Madoka-chan", the bluenette smiles at her childhood friend, her tone not that jovial. Sayaka is focusing her attention on the observing stones as the shaking makes them 'laugh'. "Are those things familiars too, then?" she asks, brandishing the bat towards the stones, her grip shaking a bit as she does so. "Should we attack them?" Kyubey taps Sayaka's neck with a paw. <<Your bat would do nothing against it Sayaka, I suggest you leave it be.>>

Kyubey blinks at Brai, before he goes back to look at Amy and his cheery voice continues to explain. He doesn't really find the Puellae giving out explanations too worthy of attention. <<Madoka's Guardian Character is right. Karma is the potential you have to redefine history. Some goddesses recorded in your mythology have been magical girls too. It is incredibly rarer for a girl nowadays to have enough potential to give birth to a goddess, but it is not completely impossible.>>

Kyubey turns his head towards the laughing stones. <<Rather than continuing to oblige the Witch's mockery of its familiars, you should pay attention to the Witch itself.>>

More black mist joins the one from before as Amy's missiles and Madoka's arrows fly through the air, either pulverising them or piercing their hide before they naturally dissolve on their own.

The flying form of the Witch Hunter takes care of the coyote headed for her too, moving through the air too fast for the familiars to do anything about it. Sayaka looks at her speeding form, especially after Magda and Lulu bring attention to her. "Then the Witch is trying to keep Blumenkrantz-san distracted, no? We are stuck as long as the familiar keep coming."

After Magda's syringes energise Lulu, her fist make quick work of some of those familiars. As a result of those actions, more of the same writing keeps filling the air, starting to turn into a thick, slowly drifting mass blocking their vision.

While still continuing to ignore Magda and Sayaka, the witch isn't letting up, although it does seem she is taking a bit of a break, having gone back to one familiar for able fighter, the one she would have sent for Magda adding itself to the familiar attack Amy this time, for a total of two.

Amanda Faust has posed:
> Believe in me! Because I believe in you!
    "Sure thing! This belief in eachother is the drill that will pierce the labyrinth!"

    Surprisingly, Magda is at least as full of advice and information as she is of healing juice! Amy nods at the instructions, and the explanation of familiars from both Magda and Kyubey. Although: "They can *survive* in our reality?! Ugh..."

    An idiot? "No you're not!" Amy is earnestly enthusiastic. "That's perfect! 'And among the heroes was one with a nose who could sniff out Witches, like a bloodhound', that's a perfect way to advance the story!"

    The red-and-white-clad Puella Magi turns to shout to Adalinda, running or rocket-jumping over to her if needed: "You can track Witches? Lead us forward, we can't stay here!"

    Her launcher shrinks down to something she can hold and fire more like a rifle, like something out of a sci-fi FPS. Hopefully smaller rockets will do here. She's not doing anything clever with the rockets -- her goal is to reach Adalinda so the Witch Hunter can lead them forward!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Bloodhound!" offers Brai to Magda. "... right?"

    Following the Witch Hunter makes the most sense, but Madoka is loathe to leave Sayaka behind in such a place. It's true that Magda could probably look after her, but Madoka would feel bad leaving Magda here, too. Plus it looks like more that black mist is filling the air. How to solve the potential vision problem?

    "Brai-chan, what's it called when one person scouts out a target and the other--"

    "Spotting. You're asking about spotting."

    "O-oh..." says Madoka. "Well, if our vision gets blocked, could you..."

    Brai gives her a wide-eyed look. "U-um... maybe? I could try it." A tiny version of Maodka's bow appears in Brai's hands. "I can't really do damage, but I can use my magic to mark a target?"

    "If you can, but be careful! If you get hit..."

    "I wont." Madoka's floating Chara rushes off, flying to catch up with the Witch Hunter. Madoka starts moving after her, but not too fast and not too far. She's hanging back to keep Sayaka and Magda well within her protection. Between her ranged weaponry and her lack of magical defense, there's really no strong reason for Madoka to take anything resembling a forward position.

    "I believe in you, Lulu!" declares Madoka. She has no idea that this gives Lulu power. She's just trying to adopt a team mindset.

    The observing stones get her attention, and what Sayaka says gives her something to consider. It's probably best if Brai keeps sticking close to Adalinda, just in case she really does find the Witch, but Madoka really does have to wonder about those stones.

    She sees the Coyote coming after her, and Madoka looses a single charged arrow in order to dispatch it, but right after that she has to consider whether or not these stones have a special meaning.

    Well, everything here will fade the moment they kill the Witch anyways, so it's not like she should worry about collateral damage. On the other hand, just because she doesn't need Grief Seeds doesn't mean she wont wear herself out. This one time, during this lull in the fighting, might be her best chance to try something.

    Another volley of pink arrows are fired into the air. Each one splits off and seeks one of the observing stones. Maybe if Madoka hits or breaks them, something will happen?

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    All these Familiars, and all this black mist scattered around... It's been interfering with her ability to track. The fact that the scent has become harder to detect the more the Familiars are slain is... Peculiar. Witch Hunter turns back towards Madoka, Sayaka, Magda, and Brai--Oh, no, Brai is coming over to her. The black-haired magical girl in the long black gown crouches slightly, revs her chainsaw, and then applies magic energy infusion to alter its shape. It's now a motor-driven giant sawblade. "Brai. Stay close to me." she says to the Char. She hopes that's the right name anyway. Then she leaps into the air, spins in mid-air, and seems to hurl the sawblade into the ground. But she retains hold of it, and uses her gown's jets to drive the spinning death wheel around the area.

    She carves a large arc along the outer edge. When she is close to completing the circle, she adjusts trajectory just a bit, so that she forms a new circle just inside the first. In this way, she continues, the circles growing smaller, and the loops taking less and less time to complete.

    Unless this Witch has something fancy up her sleeve, this means that Adalinda is progressively annihilating everything Witch-based in her path in an ever-contracting spiral. And she seems to be paying special attention to running over the observing stones. The others can deal with the Familiars. As Witch Hunter, her mind has shifted to prioritize one and only one thing:

    KILL ALL THE WITCHES.

    Anything that tries to intercept her or chase her? Those are fodder for Madoka and Amy.

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda appreciates the vote of confidence from Amy, but still has doubts! However, she doesn't doubt Lulu. Lulu is basically a shounen action hero in magical girl land. The boxing superhero puella magi is very strange, but also very good at what she does. So Magda cheers for Lulu, and then turns to Sayaka and hands her a syringe the size of Sayaka's forearm. It's not as heavy as it would be if it was full of fluid, but it's heavy enough! "It's full of positive energy. If any weird thing gets close to you, just jam it with the needle! I would power up your bat, but that's more Teresia-senpai and Linda-chan's thing..." Magda has a very, very, very specific skill-set, and that is 'healing'. Even her offense is just 'cram so much healing into the baddie that they explode'. Which may imply it's not simply healing that she's doing, but maybe manipulation of positive energy, but she doesn't know anything about that.
    "Yes, good! Linda-chan is a blood hound! Go blood hound, Witch Hunter! Go... Um.... Is she coming at us while riding a giant sawblade?"
    Pause. "Amy-chan, can you please aim for the rocks? Witch Hunter is trying to run over them, it seems. I think I know why she had trouble narrowing down the Witch's location..." Yeah. The Witch might be all around them.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Bolstered by the emotions of her allies, and even the cold certainty of Witch Hunter as her instincts help her narrow down the Witch's location, Lulu flies up into the air (or maybe it was just a really high super jump), then turns around and kicks off the air, flying back down to drive a powered-up punch into the ground, trying to send out a shockwave to knock down and disrupt any Familiars in the area. It also may result in Madoka, Amy, Sayaka, and Magda getting pushed up onto a separate 'platform' of Labyrinth due to the attempt to break the Witch's territory, giving them the safety of distance... For however long that lasts!

    "Keep those arrows coming, Madoka! Amy, I think Witch Hunter is onto something! Time to make these rocks pop like they're being mixed with soda or whatever! But with rockets!" No one has ever accused Lulu of being good at one-liners.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
The moment the attacks converge on the stones, they shatter like brittle glass, falling to the ground with many small thuds. Then runes start shining of dark light among their remains, forming the following writing: https://imgur.com/QbPvTeU only for it to disappear and the stones to reform themselves. The group doesn't have much time to take note of them however, because the Labyrinth starts shaking and warping around them.

"What's this now, is the Witch coming out!?" Sayaka asks as the whole structure keeps deforming and reforming itself, but with more and more cracks fissuring the ground each time it does so, leaving less and less ground for everyone to stand on, all they are able to do waiting or falling down them of their own accord."Thank you, Magda-san!" Sayaka says, switching the bat to a single hand and grabbing the syringe. "I will make good use of it!"

Whichever they choose and however they land, the fatal impact doesn't come, the ground somehow not resulting fatal. In this chamber the only light present is those from the girls, which now has reached the intensity of a torch against the surrounding darkness, only helping them, not blinding their eyes.

A scratching and dragging sound is heard as soon as they make their arrival. In front of the stands the Witch, an ensemple of five stone thorn radiating outwards from the same focal point, on top of each thorn an observing stone, its carved eyes looking at the group below them. the Witch is kept standing by two pillars emerging from the outwards thorns, the bases on the ground carved into the form of hands.

A shrill laugh accompanies the formation of even more runes, standing in front of the Witch for a bunch of seconds: https://imgur.com/QOXdKO2

"So this is a Witch!" Sayaka says alarmed. "Do your best, Madoka-chan, you can do it!" she encourages her friends, her knuckles white against the bat. "Kill it, everyone!" She gives a more general encouragement to the group, though surely Adalinda isn't really needing to hear that for her to proceed.

In all of this Kyubey is keeping his calm around Sayaka's neck, merely watching the ensuing fight.

The Witch drags herself closer to the group as her laugh keeps filling the space around them, rocks detaching themselves from her body and falling upon the group, forming an actual stone rain above their head.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    WHen prompted, Amanda cheerfully returns her rocket launcher to full size. "Couple of fireballs coming online, B.A.!" and blasts observing stones. It seems to help. The ground breaks, and they Move On, to what Comes Next.

    This transition could be sdescribed as 'falling', but they are uninjured, because 'falling X meters under G gravity accelerates you to K kinetic energy which, abruptly smacked into ground, stresses bones and flesh to break' is a law of Reality and not of Not-Reality. At least, that's how it all makes sense to Amy.

    "We did it!" She cheers into the blackness. "I think." She looks around at the others. "Oh, huh, we're really glowing, it's *not*, like, that we can see our essential essence or whatever." She mutters, "That explains why I couldn't see it through my eyelids." What.

    And there's the Witch. She knows it's the Witch because it has that boss title in a language she can't read.

    "Welp."

    Amy hefts the rocket launcher to her shoulder again and fires once or twice at the Witch, but uh. It's raining stones. F---! She focuses on dodging and making her way to Sayaka, because *someone* with enhanced physical prowess and a potentially rock-deflecting rocket launcher should probably be guarding her. "Congratulations! You're like the second-- err, third nonmagic person to get to see a Witch around here and live! I mean, assuming we make it through this."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Brai squeaks out, "I will!" in response to Adalinda, even though this involves her flying as fast as she possibly can. It's a struggle for the tiny Guardian Chara to keep up, but she's doing her best!

    Attacking the stones has turned out to be the correct choice, because now they've pulled Witch aggro. The ground gives way, and Madoka hops and jumps around to avoid the growing cracks in the ground. She pulls back towards Sayaka and Magda, thinking to protect them first. When the ground finally gives way, she falls with them into the darkness, glowing in brilliant light. When she finally lands on... something... the pinkette turns to face the goddess of this tiny world.

    Madoka quietly gulps. She's seen a Witch before, even been wounded by one, but being collateral damage is different than being a direct combatant. She reaches over to her left arm, rubbing it for a moment. The little extra damage she took there trying to protect Kyubey, the ache that she didn't think was worth fixing magically, serves as a reminder of not only just how serious these fights are, but just how necessary. Gretchen might not approve of her sentiment, but Madoka stands by it.

    In the middle of this contemplative moment, Brai interrupts her thoughts by firing a tiny marking arrow at the Witch. "Madoka-chan! I've found her!" she shouts.

    Madoka blinks. "I-.. um." She doesn't have the heart to say that was meaningless at this point. "Thanks, Brai-chan! Good job!"

    The rocks fall, and Madoka's thinking is similar to Amy's. Her first instinct is to shoot into the air, using the homing properties of her arrows to knock the rocks away. She stays close to Sayaka and Magda (and possibly Amy) during this, as protecting one area is easier than protecting 3-4.

    This is a true test of her abilities, and her arrow screen can't be perfect no matter how much she tries. She has to keep shooting, and shooting, and shooting just to keep them safe. There's no time to think about it. Whatever form her magical exhaustion takes, she's likely to find out once the adrenaline fades. With the barrage coming their way, Madoka can't really focus on the Witch at all.

    Or wait, maybe she can. Maybe Brai's actions weren't useless after all. Once in a while, Madoka ends up with a few extra arrows in the air. The stray arrows that either miss their target or can't find one are sent towards the Witch that her Chara has painted for her. Incidental fire won't be a finishing blow, but it can't hurt either.

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    The ground collapses. Witch Hunter's giant sawblade glows and then is replaced by the chainsaw from before. She maneuvers around the rocks as she falls, flying nimbly as she darts and dodges and exploits openings to get close to the Witch. Unfortunately, there's a problem. Going Witch Hunter means she used up her magic early. The chainsaw goes silent and vanishes, and Adalinda's gown recognfigures into her black dress she normally wears as a Puella Magi.

    Though she lands lightly, her Soul Gem's color is muddy, with a crawling black silhouette along the bottom of it, like dark flames. She pulls out a Grief Seed, and looks at it. It's nearly full. One use left at most. If she pushes herself to the limit before she uses it, she can get a full reset of her magic supply. On the other hand, if she doesn't find the time to stop and cleanse her Soul Gem, she'll be in a pretty bad situation. Of course, if she can slay more Familiars, or kill the Witch outright, she'll get an immediate replenishment as well, to as fresh as she was at the start.

    "Brai, can you hold this Grief Seed for me? If my Soul Gem turns black, just hold the Grief Seed to it. I probably won't be able to do it on my own." Then Adalinda takes a breath as she prepares to shift back into Witch Hunter mode and just throw herself at the Witch with everything she has...!

    She stumbles while getting up, the attempt to re-henshin to her full-output form leaving her Soul Gem already in the danger zone. Damn... She forgot what a difference it makes not having Coco's song to reduce the drain... She squandered her magic early. But even if she runs out of magic... She has to make sure her companions make it out of here at least!

    Her dress starts shifting like a mechanical thing, changing back into her black gown, but...

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    Suddenly, a tall blonde woman in her own long black dress seems to just blur past Witch Hunter, trailing afterimages, while saying, "That won't be necessary, Linda. Brai, please take care of her. We can handle the rest of it from here." She thrusts out her arm to her side, and the haft of a polearm flies out of her sleeve until she clamps down on it with her hand. Then she spins it, and the red scythe blade unfolds from wherever it was hiding, and locks into place with the sound of sharpened metal clashing with other sharpened metal.

    "I apologize for being late," Teresia says, with a smile to each of the girls here, and a nod towards Kyubey. Then she takes in the entire situation in a single glance. She slows time's passage to the point that nothing is moving but her. Or at least not noticeably moving without watching for days on end. She runs across the rocks in the air that aren't being shot down, until she is close to the Witch.

    Then she leaps down from on high, and swings her scythe repeatedly. The blade flies off, and then it flies off again, and again, leaving arcing red steel projectiles slow-motion heading towards the enemy. Then she leaps aside, and time resumes its normal passage, leaving three scythe blades on course to slam into the Witch's 'face', and buy time for someone else who isn't close to maxing out their magic expenditures to deliver a final blow.

    To everyone else, it basically looks like Teresia teleported to a new location, while a blonde and black flicker might barely be caught by someone paying very close attention, while three red scythe blades materialized out of thin air.

    At least, it would look that way to those who don't know anything about Time Magic.

Magda Faust has posed:
    Magda turns suddenly, sensing something amiss. She was gawking at Madoka and Amy shooting down the rocks and laying waste to the Witch's territory, but then she sees Adalinda crouched there, no longer in Witch Hunter mode, but seemingly... Trying to change back!? That's such a draining state to be in! Because of her Wish, Adalinda is super strong against Witches, but it also means that the weapon she uses gobbles up energy constantly, and the jet-powered dress configuration that Adalinda uses to maximize the effectiveness of that weapon during the brief time window she has available just adds to the costs. If she tries to transform again now, she'll...! "LINDA!" Magda calls out.
    But she needn't be concerned.
    Of course Teresia would show up at the right moment to keep her girls safe. Magda is simultaneously relieved and bolstered by the presence of the Puella Magi Hero. Redoubling her determination, she runs towards Adalinda and Brai, to help shield them while they get situated. Madoka's arrows slamming into the Witch, even if not individually lethal, are probably cracking the crone's, uhh... Crface!
    And, you know, Amy is shooting mama mothering missiles! And... And Sayaka is... She's there, you know!? She's definitely there! And so is Kyubey! That's a relief, you know? Gosh, those... Those are things that are true. Both Sayaka and Kyubey are there!
    But more importantly, Teresia has already attacked, and that leaves the final blow up to Lulu probably, unless the Witch has a second form, in which case this may all go really badly suddenly!
    "H-hey, maybe... Maybe don't do crazy stuff for a bit?" she suggests to Adalinda shakily.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu isn't certain if it was her super punch to the ground or the breaking of the stones or completing some kind of puzzle or just tripping an event flag, but everyone is falling! "It wasn't my fault probably but if it was, sorry!" she calls out as she falls. She lands safely, and would have dashed over to catch Sayaka and make sure she landed safely too, but Magda is, like, right there, and also it seems more weird Witch logic is going on so nobody needs the help.

    She darts and dodges, her red cape flying out behind her dramatically, as she punches rocks out of the air as they fly towards her, or at least the ones the ranged specialists aren't nailing. She is bobbing and weaving as she tries to get close enough to a vital point on the Witch to deliver a finishing blow in one shot!

    Then she hears Magda yell Adalinda's name, and she turns around in alarm, dread sinking into her belly. "Oh, no. What now--?" Then she sees Teresia. Oh. Whatever the problem was, it's definitely all going to be okay now. That aura that Teresia puts out, of the reliable big-sister figure who can handle anything, and make any problem go away, immediately puts Lulu at ease and also puts a big grin on the redhead's face.

    She cracks her knuckles through her boxing gloves (somehow), then calls out, "Watch and learn, ladies!" Then she zips towards the Witch's face, skidding to a stop with a dust trail from her athletic shoes, and one arm pulled up and back. Then her fist glows brightly as she gathers magic energy into that one glove, powering it up for her ultimate attack. "<<K.O.!!>>"

    Then she swings her fist and it practically explodes in a shockwave and a pillar of flame if it makes contact!!

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Thanks, Faust-san, but that's not reassuring at all. We will make it through this", quips the bluenette in response.

<<Worst case scenario, she can always use her wish to deal with this Witch or get us out of its Labyrinth>> intervenes Kyubey, its seraphic smile still on his face.

"You are really calm regardless of the situation, aren't you?" Sayaka comments at his calm. "It's honestly unnerving how fearless you are."

The missiles from Amy don't stop despite the rain of stones threatening to knock them off course and they impact the Witch, which reacts by dragging itself towards Amy, but the impact of the missiles has made it slower, and the occasional arrow from Madoka is contributing too.

The firing of Madoka's bow is meanwhile doing a really efficient job of protecting Magda and Sayaka from the rain of stones, not a single one surviving the contact with her arrows.

"She is really fast! No, wait, is she teleporting?" Sayaka reacts with surprise and wonder as Teresia uses her magic. Of course, she doesn't recognise her, the only time the two of them were close to each other being in a setting completely devoid of needing her power. But this is not the case now, and Teresia is showing the Witch what it means to be on the receiving end of her magic, its body taking blow after blow with no hope of retaliating, the intensifying stone rain hardly proving a hindrance, 4 of its faces all but gone.

Of course, Lulu is more than ready to show the Witch who is boss, sending her glowing fist of Empathy and Ardour towards the last remaining face, the shiny pact crumbling the thorn and the face in a single strike.

On its last throes, the cursed creature takes a last look at its killers, and the Witch sneers, a Coyote familiar showing out of nowhere to attack the weak link in the group: Sayaka, who sees the grey monstrosity appear in front of her, fangs ready to tear through the bluenette.

"What the!?" is all she has the time to say, the adrenaline taking over as she slams the needle of Magda's syringe into the Coyote's body, pressing down the piston as its magical content starts coursing through the familiar's body, dissipating it before it can actually finish its fall on Sayaka.

Around them, the city lights start returning in tandem with the disappearance of the cavernous darkness, leaving them back to safety, the only other noise besides their own breath a single ting of a Grief Seed falling onto the ground.

"I can't believe Witches would be this crazy!" Sayaka shouts. "How do you feel, Madoka? Are you all right?" She starts worrying over her friend.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Madoka fires arrows that home in on falling boulders and knock them aside. Amy comments in awe, "Your arrows can *do* that?! *Damn.*" Amy helps Madoka keep the rain (of boulders) off their heads with her rockets, and then suddenly, tall and blonde and competent and experienced is saving the day, like Zero arriving when X is struggling in Vile's grip. Damn, Teresia, Adalinda, and Lulu all look so *cool* right now.

    Amy may be so lost in admiring them that she doesn't notice the sudden Not-coyote until it's too late. She brings the rocket launcher down like a club on nothing, the familiar already dissolved by Magda's magic.

    And then Reality returns around them. Amy lets out a breath and slumps in relief. "Phew. It's over." The launcher poofs away into sparkles, and she tries to hug Sayaka and Madoka and Magda just because they're *there* and she just lived through yet another freaky Witch encounter, and despite trying to be so cavalier about the whole thing, as adrenaline leaves her it sets in, again, that they could've *died.*

    To Sayaka, she comments: "Yeah. That's what we've promised to hunt, by making a wish. I don't regret it, but... it's probably not for everybody, you know?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Brai catches the Grief Seed in both of her arms. Point to point it's about as tall as she is! Fortunately, Madoka knew what these things did before Brai's egg was made, so she inherited the knowledge from her. "I understand." she says in her squeaky voice. "Be careful!"

    Then Adalinda pushes her luck, and things start to go wrong, and Brai's tiny little mouth opens in horror. Teresia comes in at a Heroic Moment, and her words spur the tiny Chara directly into action. If Kuefer-san is saying that, then immediate action is probably necessary. She flies around to Adalinda's Soul Gem, holding up the Grief Seed up to it. That's how it works, right? Brai has never actually done this herself before. On that note, neither has Madoka.

    Madoka is simultaneously relieved and worried about Teresia's sudden arrival. The fact that she's here to save the day implies that there was a day needing to be saved. She decides, instead of worrying about whatever might have just happened, to just be grateful that Teresia exists.

    Madoka calls out, "Teresia-san! Thanks for coming!"

    Madoka is so fully concentrating on countering the Death From Above, while making potshots at the Witch, that she doesn't even see the coyote until it's too late. Fortunately, Sayaka has been armed. Oh geeze! That could've gone really bad. Now Madoka suspects she knows how Homura feels.

    (Spoiler: She does not, in fact, know how Homura feels.)

    As the Witch dies and the Labyrinth fades, Madoka finally allows herself the chance to breath. She looks at Sayaka with wide, mortified eyes and a tense smile. After a moment of awkward pausing, she laughs awkwardly. "That was... really scary! It's... usually pretty intense, actually. I'm glad we made it, though." She laughs a little bit more.

    Brai stays by Adalinda's side to make sure she's alright. Fortunately, if the Grief Seed she was given turns out to not be enough, there should be a fresh one nearby. Madoka glances over to Adalinda, and then back to Sayaka.

    "Sayaka-chan, I'm not going to tell you whether or not you should make a Wish. I chose not to, because there are severe limits on a Puella Magi's resources, and I didn't want to be unable to help someone just because I was out of juice. However, you should know that this is a dangerous life. Don't make a Wish unless it's worth risking your life for."

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    Adalinda is definitely wobbling a bit despite her best efforts to the contrary when Brai puts the Grief Seed against Adalinda's Soul Gem. It's enough. If she had managed to get at least one strike in on the Witch personally, she would have gotten a refill. But it seems that she can't always rely on that. It's a sobering realization that she may need to reevaluate her tactics if she plans to stay around for a while. "Thank you, Brai... You saved me." She also looks up at Magda as the green-haired Medical Magi rushes over to shield them both from any stray rocks. Teresia is here... That means everything will be okay.

    Once they are all back to what passes for reality, Adalinda allows herself to fully revert and pat-pat-pats Brais head with her fingertip, giving her a little headrub of thanks. Then she stands up, and starts walking over to everyone else. Looks like a spontaneous group hug is underway. Even with her Soul Gem restored, Adalinda is mentally fatigued. Turning herself into a living machine made of flesh and bone with only one driving force motivating her is never exactly easy to come back from. But it's harder this time. Maybe because she didn't get her refill?

    Something to ask Teresia about privately later. For now... "Good job, everyone." she says with a smile, as she masks just how tired she is. She has taken back the used-up Grief Seed of course, and offers it to Kyubey. "I have one for you, Kyubey!"

Magda Faust has posed:
    Now that they are back to reality, Magda is much closer to Sayaka, Madoka, Amy, and everyone, so is glomped into the group hug. "Uwawawa!" she lets out in surprise, but once she stabilizes she's okay. She smiles and hugs back! "Good job everyone!" She also gives an awkward thumbsup to Adalinda. She didn't do much for her, but being a human shield from rocks is still something, it's true! "And thank you, Teresisa-senpai! Things could've been much worse without you! You arrived just in time!" Despite saying she was late. Funny thing to say.

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    Teresia stands by until the Witch is definitely dead. She is keenly watching everything, even when she's not looking at it. Her spatial awareness extends out to about 300 meters, giving her clear idea of her surroundings, where people and things are, and so on. It's not like the Byakugan or anything. It isn't x-ray vision, or a tangible, quantifiable element of her magic. She just knows certain things.

    That Sayaka would prevail against the Familiar with the syringe she was given by Magda appears to have been one of them.

    She smiles kindly once everyone is together and the Barrier has collapsed. "You did well, from what I saw. Even if some among you push yourselves too hard." She looks pointedly at Adalinda and arches an eyebrow. "Even so... Your teamwork has improved immensely from when we first started." Her gaze passes over Madoka, and then Kyubey. Then she focuses on Sayaka. "I don't know what you've been told, but I do hope that you understand now why we Puella Meisters have an ironclad rule about never going into a Labyrinth alone. Anything can be on the other side of the Barrier. Most normal people who enter a Witch's Labyrinth just die and become the Witch's food. So, even if things went well this time, please don't assume that will always be the case."

    Teresia reverts from her henshin. She has to wear a tailored boy's uniform, because the girl's uniform is too small for her in many different ways. The less said about the skirt she was wearing at first, the better.

    "I suppose there is one exception for going into a Labyrinth alone though..." she says with feigned thoughtfulness like she's just realizing it. "...And that's if you are me, or Homura Akemi." She then smirks and distributed her own headpats to anyone who wants one.

    Indeed, with Madoka having chosen a different path... Homura and Teresia may be the only Puella Magi in this part of the world at least who can freely enter a Labyrinth without fear that of death or failure.

    And that's why she chose to show up here today.

    Because that outcome wasn't guaranteed for everyone else. That's a fact that Madoka has clued into already.

    "How about we all get back to school before we're missed, hm?" she suggests lightly despite the threats to all their lives of just moments ago. She has a way of smoothing out the wrinkles of concern like that. By the time they get back to school, they'll feel right as rain.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu does a victory dance and cheers for herself when the Witch finally dies, though looks alarmed when a single Familiar launches out to try to take down the only non-combatant present! Thankfully, Sayaka deals with it. Whew! And everyone is okay now. Of course they are. Teresia is here. That means there is nothing to worry about. Reverting once reality reasserts itself, Lulu wanders over, grinning, with her arms folded behind her head. "Hah! Maybe one day I'll be strong enough to handle one by myself! You never know!" As long as she lives as long as Teresia has, she'll get there, right?

    ...How old was Teresia again?

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Yeah, group hug! It's nice. Like being included in Lulu's shout of 'Watch and learn, ladies was nice.

    Aren't they forgetting something?

    "The grief seed!" Amanda hurries over to retrieve it, and pulls out her own Soul Gem, holding them in front of her side by side:

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    "How is everyone doing? We should refill whoever's lowest first."

Magda Faust has posed:
    "...Eeeeh? Who is Homura Akemi again?" Magda asks, wracking her brain for any recollection of being told that. She must be a Big Deal if she's on Teresia's tier though!
    She is jolted by the Grief Seed question. She takes off her hat to look at the green Soul Gem on it. "...I am doing okay! Don't worry about me!"

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu makes a 'give it here' gesture. "Oiiii. I used my ultimate attack. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Ultimates aren't cheap! Hand it over! Please, unless someone else needs it more." What a poser.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Brai looks up at Adalinda with concern as her head is fingerpetted, and happily relinquishes the Grief Seed. Madoka meant it when she said those things should go to Puella Magi, and all of her Chara agree with that sentiment. Even her gloomy quasi-Witch X-Chara who isn't here today.

    "Thanks for letting me tag along," says Brai, before floating back to her Chara Bearer. Madoka reaches out to Brai and cups her in her hands, and then leans into the celebratory group hug.

    The freshly minted magical girl is still a bit frazzled, and going against one of the most dangerous types of monsters out there was a pretty tall order. All in all though, they survived it and nothing bad happened.

    With the threat over, Madoka's bow fades, and she starts to feel the fatigue all over her body. She didn't spend as much time moving as she expected to, but she's still worn out from being essentially a point defense system. That's not a term that she actually knows right now, but it's one that Brai will probably tell her later.

    Teresia speaks, and Madoka nods. "Right. My mistake was in not realizing that I had gotten too far ahead of the others. I had assumed they were right behind me, but actually they stayed behind to make sure the civilians were safe." If people want to lecture her now, she'd be a bit more receptive of it, since it wouldn't be a direct waste of precious combat time.

    To Lulu, Madoka shrugs. "Every emergency response team I've ever seen relies on the buddy system. Magical girls like Homura and Teresia are an exception, not the rule."

    When Amy mentions the Grief Seed, Madoka says, "I mean... not me, obviously."

    To Magda, Madoka says, "Homura Akemi is one of my best friends, and she's a Puella Magi, too. She's a strong veteran. She visited me in the hospital, after I was strong enough to walk around again."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Adalinda used a lot of magic too..." Amy points out at Lulu's demands, looking over at Adalinda and Teresia. Not disagreeing, just. Wanting to confirm the situation so the grief seed can be consumed optimally.

Teresia Kuefer has posed:
    Teresia just chuckles. She is fine, as always. Her Soul Gem is as pristine as when she first appeared. She shakes her head to indicate she doesn't need it. She also smiles brightly at Madoka. "Congratulations, Madoka-chan. You've slain your first Witch." She also looks to Sayaka, to make sure the bluenette is okay. It can be... Jarring to enter a Labyrinth for the first time, even when you have the power to fight. As a helpless civilian...

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka wants to agree with Amy when it comes to Adalinda, but... it's not really her place to say. Instead she starts to walk towards class, since she's pretty sure this is something they'll resolve peacefully. It's not like Kyouko's here.

    To Teresia, she laughs awkwardly. "Thanks, Teresia-senpai." She smiles brightly at the Puella Heroine, but the smile gets a little... soft after a moment. "Homura-chan told me you two avenged me. Thank you for that."

Adalinda Blumenkrantz has posed:
    The yellow-eyed girl shakes her head. "I'm fine. I didn't use an ultimate attack, after all." She says with mock stoicism as she nods towards Lulu. She is fine for now, at least.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy quirks an eyebrow at Teresia and Adalinda. How are they fine?! Well, Adalinda did have a grief seed, maybe she just recharged to full. She looks at Lulu, and at her own gem, and the seed, and Lulu's gem, and at the seed, and at her own gem, and moves her hands next to eachother, blackness leaving her own gem--

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    --And then her gem is on the back of her wrist again and she steps towards Lulu, holding out the lightly-used grief seed for the other Puella to take.

    "Right. Bacxk to class... gods, it's hard to believe it's still... the school day. Feels like we just had a long night..."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Don't worry, Madoka-chan, I am taking this matter seriously, especially after what I have seen today", Sayaka reassures her. "I will do the right thing in the end, and it will be something I am fully convinced of", she shoots the pinkette a confident smile, way more confident than how she felt inside the Labyrinth.

Then Sayaka is caught into the group hug with Magda and Amy, the strength they put into it surprising. Is this what having magic does to one's body? She hugs them back, although disentangling her arms to actually do that is a challenge and a half.

"Thank all of you showing me what fighting a Witch is like and keeping me safe", she thanks those involved in the hug, before repeating the same for Lulu, Adalinda and Teresia.

"Thank you for your great help despite me only having been here to watch, and thanks for that rescue at the end", Sayaka says, directing the last bit at Teresia specifically. "That superspeed or teleporting you had was awesome. I hope to be half as cool as you if I take the contract."

When Teresia gives her warning, the bluenette gets actually tensier, replying back with a "I will keep it in mind."The name Homura means nothing to her, so keeps it in mind as someone to meet and learn from if they are that amazing. Surely they are an assiduous defender of the people, right?

When Madoka mentions Homura too. Sayaka frowns. "One of your best friends, how come I never met her?"She dismisses it. "I think you can introduce me to her later", she suggests, having gone back to a smirk. Only for that to be cancelled by the mention of Madoka being avenged by Teresia and Homura. "You will have to explain me what you mean by that." She takes a good look at Madoka when she says that. Her friend looks to be in good shape, why would she need to be avenged, and from what?

<<Thanks, Adalinda>>, Kyubey scurries towards her, catching the Grief Seed into the tear-shaped section on his back. Sayaka is too busy talking with Teresia for noticing that.

And so concludes this Witch Hunt, with everyone safe and sound this time, and free go go back to Radiant Heart Academy however they please. Sayaka is, of course, going back with Madoka.