towerofanimus | oo2 | But those days are gone forever

Entry tags:

oo2 | But those days are gone forever

Characters: Mami Tomoe and anyone who wants to see a suffering girl (aka YOU)!
Setting: Backdated to the 17th, the day after her network post. Floor Forty-eight in the morning, Floor Six in the afternoon and various monster-infested areas at night
Format: Action, but I'll match!
Summary: Mami snaps. In a Network post, she finds out about what Soul Gems and Grief Seeds really do, and the fate of all magical girls. Oh, and that conversation with Lancer didn't help at all.
Warnings: TL;DR because meguca feels. Violence, suffering, the usual! Also spoilers for anyone who hasn't watched Madoka Magica.

Graveyard
[ To anyone who knows Mami Tomoe, they would find the air around her to be warm and inviting. Not today, however. Today was different - very different in fact.

One could see that Mami was leaning on one of the gravestones. Besides the leaning, her posture was stiff and the air around her was depressing overall. Like she just found out something awful. Well, that's actually not far from the truth.

Her ring transforms into her Soul Gem and she stares at him. The emotionless look turned into a more horrifying one. The fate of Magical Girls was to grow into witches. The very thing she hunted. She was killing people like her.

She didn't want to cry. Didn't want to regret. So her eyes cast downwards and her expression changed to a tired one. ]

Forest
"Did you find anything else out? Anything.... Jyuubey failed to tell you?"

"Yes. The truth about Puella Magi. About Soul Gems."

I should have guessed this. To think it took me ten years to figure this out.

[ Mami was out hunting.

Not for food or anything like that, but she needed to calm herself. If she didn't, she would lash out at people. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't want to hurt any of her friends, even if it could save them.

Lifting her musket, the magical girl aimed at an unsuspecting deer. There was silence as she concentrated on her target, wanting to think of nothing but shooting it down. She was a master at this, not even needing to venture too far from the staircase to spot her target. ]

"That we grow up to be witches."

[ The trigger was pulled, and after a few shots the deer withered in pain before passing on. She dropped the gun and suddenly began to cry. It was hard to determine what she was crying about, but she couldn't stop.

This feeling was bothering her. ]

Various floors
[ Mami's movements were slow, so she didn't make it back to the dorms in time. The ambush of Monsters was great, but she was a veteran at this. She was bloodied after killing them, something she still wasn't used to. After all, witches didn't shed blood. Even if they were once people.

People like her.

She seems to be in a daze and certainly not scared to raise her gun once she hears footsteps. She wasn't sure what was this feeling was, but her finger was placed on the trigger. ]

It's dangerous here. I advise leaving.

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[Raphael had started exploring the Tower a little bit, and the forest floor did please him. It reminded him of home a little..even if it was no longer there. However, as he was walking through, Raphael heard a loud noise. He wasn't sure what it was, but he walked toward the source, ready to heal and help out.

When he got to the source, he saw a dead deer lying at the feet of a..oh dear. This girl in the fanciful costume..her soul was ripped out of her body and put into a gem she wore in a hairpin. This was..horrible. Did Belial or some other monster do this to her? Before speaking to her, he tried to revive the deer..and failed, which only served to make him more worried. However, his face still looked calm as he looked back at Mami.]

Child..what is wrong? What happened to you..and your soul?

[ The sobbing had eased down a bit and now, only dried tears stained her cheeks. Mami looked up at the male and then back at the deer. She didn't want to feel bad for a mutated deer that would probably die by another member of the tower. Maybe it was just her emotions running loose. ]

My... My soul... [ She touched her hairpin before her fingers curled up, gripping at the golden locks. ] I... I didn't know... I...

[Oh..poor girl. She must have been tricked..or unknowingly cursed, like the humans that lived in the Grigori's Tower. His face grew kinder and he put a hand to hers, trying to calm her down. This was how you calmed down a human like this, right?]

Child, please..calm yourself. It is alright. You have nothing to fear from me.

[ She tried her best to calm down. A shaky breath left her mouth and slowly, her breathing and body movement returned to normal. ]

I apologize.

[As she spoke and calmed down, Raphael knelt so that she could see him better. His hand did not move.]

You have nothing to apologize about. If anything, whoever did this to you should be apologizing. If it does not pain you too much, can you tell me how this happened to you?

I...

[ A sigh. ]

It's my own fault. I wanted to live, so I trusted that... That thing. He saved me, but he also lied to me. Never told me the truth...

It is not your fault if you were tricked. The blame should fall on whatever demon did this to you.

He... He's not really a demon....

[ Alien was the proper term. ]

[Pardon Raphael. He knows about the concept of other worlds, but he's still getting used to them a little.]

No?..Then tell me, what did do this to you?

He's...

... To be honest, I'm not sure what he is. An alien maybe? I know he's certainly not a demon.

[..He was also a little unfamiliar with aliens, but he'd work with that.]

..Well, whether he is an alien or something else, it is his fault that you are like this. Please, do not blame yourself.

[There was never, ever anything good accomplished at the graveyard.]

[It was practically a law of nature by this point, written in to the books along with all of the others that the Tower had invented. Law Number 1267: Nothing good ever happened at the graveyard. Just like everyone else, Equius walked through here sometimes, staring down at names that he knew had once belonged to people, real people, wandering these halls, who were now presumably stranded in the crumbling remains of their home world and probably dead of starvation. He could even recognize some of the names as those he knew, whether in this form or a separate one.]

[Though he walked quietly, Mami would find it increasingly difficult to ignore the towering grey creature walking along the aisles as well. If it did anything to soothe her, at least his expression looked as downcast as hers. He caught sight of her and immediately assumed that she was here to mourn someone lost to the Tower's system. The gem in her hand... could it have been something that belonged to the other? It looked beautiful, whatever it was.]

Are you alright? [His tone was quiet, gentle almost. Equius tended to get very... compassionate on this floor, which was the primary reason why he avoided it most days.]

[ He was right. Mami couldn't help but ignore the grey creature wandering through the graveyard. She didn't move, though, only letting her eyes study him. She had seen similar creatures wandering around the tower and they seemed like kidnapped residents, like many people here, so she had no real reason to be hostile to him.

His question did catch her off-guard and she jumped in surprise. Was she OK? She'd like to think that maybe before learning the truth, she was just a bit. ]

I don't know...

[As common as trolls were in the Tower, Equius was never surprised when anyone couldn't stop staring at him. (Or, he was as part of the current event, anyway.) Dealing with trolls was one thing, but dealing with trolls who were twelve feet tall was another.]

[He looked down at her with a completely unreadable and blank expression, and then kneeled down, so that he was significantly closer to her height. He looked at the name on the gravestone (and didn't recognize it), but then turned his gaze to Mami.] Because of them?

[ She almost forgot she was leaning on the gravestone and quickly leaned away from it. She wasn't the type to lie so she shook her head. ]

No. I mean... I am sad for them but... Th-That's not the reason.

[Something else, then. He couldn't blame her. The graveyard floor was a very good place to brood in peace, because no one ever bothers you... but usually Equius made it a habit to sit somewhere away from the gravestones themselves, like against the wall. Don't want to get in the way of people actually grieving the lost ones.]

What is the reason, then?

[If she feels like talking about it, of course. He'll back off if she doesn't.]

I... Just found out something that was kept secret from me.

[ Of course, he could probably tell that the secret was pretty big for her. To find out that she would turn into the very thing she hunted... It was a pretty big deal for her. She knew she would never have a normal adult life, but she never thought she would mature into a witch. ]

[That made two of them then, Equius thought before he could stop himself. He sighed heavily, though whether it was at Mami or himself was unclear.]

I'm sorry.

[Of course he didn't know what secret had been kept from this girl, nor did he have any reason to, but he could sympathize. While his problem was far more... mundane than Mami's, it did still upset him in a way that he wasn't quite able to articulate. Having your boyfriend cheat on you with literally the only person in the Tower that you can say you hate does that to people, sometimes. And then there's the unfortunate matter of what happened afterward.]

Keeping secrets is quite possibly one of the worst things you can do to a person.

Sometimes we keep secrets to protect each other, or we're forced to keep quiet.

[ Mami was starting to calm down and think clearly. Her friends weren't trying to hurt her - she knew that well - but she wondered why they didn't tell her aft all of these years in the tower? Her head was hurting and she quickly gripped her forehead, wincing. ]

I just wonder why they kept it from me. It was something we all should have known. It's... It's not fair!

[Protect each other... hm. Equius shook his head, unable to comment at all on the fairness of it all. What she mentioned about it being the right thing to do... it made him wonder. Without knowing what she’d been kept from, there was no way he could agree with her or not. So he simply moved on to the next logical bit of conversation. If she wanted to share, she would.]

What is your name?

What she got approaching her was an unassuming looking young man. He didn't particularly look like he belonged there, but just was. Though he did seem to be lost in thought, because he is. At the moment he was looking for anything out of the ordinary as he attempted to piece together the information that he had gleamed thus far.

So, when he found her pointing a gun at him, as well as give him, what he believed to be, a threat. Mitch just shrugged before opening his mouth to talk in a matter of fact, tone of voice. "Perhaps you should listen to your own suggestion and clear off."

I can handle myself just fine.

[ She wiped the blood that splattered on her face with her sleeve. She wasn't here to argue with anyone, nor did she want to leave. She needed to blow off some steam so that she wouldn't hurt her friends. ]

"Is that so, suspicious person?" Apparently she had never heard of video games. What was better than killing your friends in a virtual reality? Not a whole lot, according to most, Mitchell included amongst them. Though there were those that would disagree.

"What if I told you that I can as well?"

Suspicious? It's rather rude to call someone that. After all, I'm not doing anything suspicious. [ Well, that was partially true. She had her own reasons for not heading back to her room, but those reasons were private. ]

... Then so be it. I was only warning you, just in case the swarm gets worst.

Something did change.

[There is no mocking in his voice today. The words Lancer speaks as he detaches himself from the shadow he had been standing in are merely a statement of fact. He is cautious as he approaches her, though. He might not have spent much time around her lately, but he can tell something in her is different, even from when they had spoke over the network just the other day.

Whatever she had talked to her world-mates about had not ended well.

And he probably hadn't helped.]

[ The voice is familiar, too familiar, and Mami jumps from the grave she was leaning on, her body language showing a more hostile movement. She was glaring at him now. No, she was not going to deal with him today.

He fed off of her despair, she assumed. That's all he ever did now. ]

Get away from me.

[Lancer stops his approach and holds out his hands in a calming manner.]

I don't want to continue our argument from yesterday, believe me. We never got around to talking about what was wrong with you. Tell me. Let me...help. Isn't that what you wanted from me?

[Is he still looking for something exciting? Yes, but at the same time, that part of him that had been screaming at the end of their conversation yesterday is still screaming today and he wants to know why.]

[ For a moment, she believes him. She moves away from the gravestone towards the knight, but suddenly stops in her tracks. Did he really want to help her out? Was he finally coming to his senses? ]

... I found out my true fate. The fate I would face if I didn't die. I... I would turn into a witch, the same beings I've been hunting this entire time.. My body is nothing more than a shell.

I was destined to grow up and turn into a witch... This is the fate of all Magical Girls...

[Lancer is quiet for several moments. That...was nothing like what he expected to hear from her.]

Are you certain that is a fate you cannot escape? Weren't you the one basically telling me not long ago that things are only lost if you give up on them? Have you so quickly given up on yourself?

Tell me you are not truly that foolish...

It is the fate of myself and anyone like me. Witches are our adult form. You can't escape growing up. [ Unless you die, of course. Like Mami. ]

I... I have not given up. [ She wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but she couldn't give up. ] It's funny how someone who as already given up is calling me foolish.

[A bit of anger flashes in his eyes in response to her words, but for the moment, he pushes it back.]

I suppose that it's fortunate that you don't have to worry about growing up here, do you? If you haven't changed in all this time, you probably aren't going to. No becoming a witch for you.

So stop foolishly wasting your energy worrying so much. There are more important things you could be worrying about.

It's not just about me. There are others like me, others who aren't dead. When they go back, they'll never grow up into adults. Instead... They'll grow up to be them, and I... I can't save them...

Do you know how it feels? To feel so useless? I don't want them to end up like that!

[Did he know what it felt like to be useless? How did she think he ended up like this?]

Of course, I know what it's like to feel useless! We're all still here. That means I failed helping everyone go home! I've done nothing in the thousand years I've been here. Nothing at all!

[He paces a few steps away from her before turning back and saying gently.]

I guess the good part of me failing is you are still here and not back on your world if that is the fate that awaits you all.

....

[ She's silent, watching him. She's not really sure what to say to this. He always pushed her away when she tried to figure out what was wrong with him. She felt hurt, knowing that she could have done more to help him. Yet, he did nothing to help her either. ]

Lancer-san...

[Lancer tsks softly to himself. This isn't suppose to be about him. It's suppose to be about her. He shoves his own emotions back into that place where he always locks them away in his mind and then continues.]

You are not the only one who isn't changing here, right? The others are staying the same as well?

[He doesn't wait for her answer. He knows it. He's watched them stay the same for over a thousand years.]

Then focus on finding a way to fix things before you go back home. If you can't help them there. Help them here.

[Gunshots.

Not just any gunshots. The sound of muskets. If that wasn't enough to tell her of their origin, certainly the expenditure of magical energy would be enough. After her brief conversation with Mami on the network, she couldn't help but contemplate what exactly was going through her mind.

She had told herself a few times she wouldn't chase her down -- that it would be stupid and a waste of her time. But, like usual, Kyoko can't seem to resist the pull of a "friend" in need. She still wasn't sure if she could call any of the magical girls she knew friends. It was an age old question that kept coming up, even if she had stopped trying to ask.

Or maybe she was just looking for a little bit of action. Either way, it doesn't take too long to find Mami, collapsed and crying next to a wasted shot. She spots the dead deer not too far away and frowns.]

You're wasting energy.

[ She continued to cry, finally letting out all of that emotion she kept inside for so long. Ten years in the tower finally made her snap, finally caused her to collapse into nothing. And the newest information she learned about Magical Girls.

There was nothing she could do. She could not save those who turned into witches. Couldn't revert them back. She didn't want anyone else to suffer. She didn't want to be the one to kill her friends.

Yet, that was probably the only way to save them. Kill them before they converted.

A familiar voice reached her ears and she managed to slow her cries down. Kyoko was here now. It was kind of easy to tell the two apart - one Kyoko was more friendly to her while the other one seemed to resent her. ]

K-Kyoko... [ A sad smile. ] I-I don't want... I don't want anyone to turn into a witch... Did you know? We turn into witches when our soul gems darken. Isn't that funny? W-We're killing adult Magical Girls...

[So...Mami didn't know.

Actually, that made sense, now that she thought about it. There had been no reason to discuss the nature of Soul Gems, here in Animus. She had died long before the secret had come to light. She remembered when Homura had finally told her after she had killed Sayaka, what would have happened if she hadn't done it. It was one of the reasons she resented the other girl so much -- for not giving her a chance.

But that was in the past now. Here, she had Mami to deal with. And if she thought about it too much, Kyoko was sure...]

There's nothing to be done about it now.

[She sees that false smile and it makes her a little ill. She had become mostly jaded to such things, but Mami had always been the stronger one at the end of the day.

Kyoko offers her hand after a moment to help her up, the other one staying firmly fisted in the pocket of her hoodie. The other girl forces a rather convincing half-grin.]

Besides. None of us are gonna turn into witches here.

[ Mami can't help but stare at Kyoko's hand, like t was some foreign object that she shouldn't touch. But in the end, she grabbed Kyoko's hand like it was a life line and pulled herself up. ]

Are... Are you sure?

[ Were they truly safe from their fate of turning into witches? What if one of them turned into a witch while they were here? Mami had no idea how she would handle killing her friends - especially her best friend. ]

[No, she wasn't. But she can't very well say that. So Kyoko just keeps that too-cool-for-school snaggletoothed grin fixed on her face like it was painted there.]

When have I ever not been sure?

[Only after she says it does she realize that it might not be the right thing to say, unless Mami doesn't pick up on the fact that they aren't from the same timeline. But it seems most everyone is able to pick out the differences between the two of them now, so she doesn't bother taking it back.

Nobody in this tower really knows her. But she's ok with that. She hadn't let connections run too deep, because there was too great a chance of them not being there tomorrow. But that didn't mean she didn't still have a job to do.

So Mami will find a nutrition bar beind shoved into her hand once Kyoko gets her to her feet and she lets go, flipping her hair back over her shoulders.]

Now lighten up, will ya?

[ She glances between the nutrition bar in her hand and then Kyoko. Then at the floor. Then back at Kyoko. This was the Kyoko that seemed to resent her. Now, she was giving her a sign of friendship.

Or at least, Mami liked to think so.

She was trying her best not to cry. But, her emotions - the pent up emotions that were starting to ease out slowly - got the best of her and the senior magical girl started to cry once again. She threw her arms around her (keeping a grip on the nutrition bar) and hugged her old friend, not saying a word. ]

K-Kyoko...!!

[Oh. Ok.

Its obvious that Kyoko is taken by surprise, judging by the way her limbs lock when Mami's embrace suddenly wraps around her. Right. Maybe that had been too much. Even though she can't see her face, she can hear and feel Mami's sobs and the slightest bit of moisture on her collar bone.

Yeah. Too much.

Kyoko says nothing, but after the surprise passes, she lets her body relax. It takes too much effort to resent people anymore, but she doesn't find herself capable of returning the embrace. At least, not without being a huge phony about it. What she doesn't do is push Mami away, opting to bring one hand up to offer a small semblance of support.

If she has to be the shoulder to cry on, she can do that. After all, she is the only one from her timeline, it seems. It was a purpose, if nothing else.

She offers another small scoff.]

Hey. That doesn't sound like lightening up to me.

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oo2 | But those days are gone forever

Forest

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graveyard

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Graveyard

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Forest

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