First

[mask_of_suffering]

Characters: Madoka and Open
Setting: Dormitory Floor, Room 1-11, 38th floor lounge, the meadow.
Format: Action
Summary: Madoka arrives in the tower and attempts to find her bearings.
Warnings: None

[Sitting alone on her bed in the dorms, Madoka shakily reads the letter provided to her by the tower's managers. Just the day before she had resolved to meet with Homura and find a way to end the vicious cycle that had birthed so many horrors into the mortal world, now, if the letter and its mysterious senders were to be believed, it was all pointless. In the end she hadn't been able to protect anyone, despite all the power afforded to her by the dark being dwelling in her pitch-black soul, everyone she had ever loved was gone and likely would never return.

Even for someone like Madoka, who could see the good in even the darkest of circumstances, it was quite a load to bear. Nevertheless she remains strong, for even the smallest admission of sorrow could open a window for her witch side to assault her already fragile mind with mental suggestions to carry out her darkest desires. Holding back a torrent of tears with just a few sniffles for show, she tucks the letter under her pillow and stands, ready to go out and find something to calm her shaken mind.]

[After awhile of simply ambling around the tower, checking every floor within a short distance of her room for anything that could take her mind off the contents of the letter that currently lay back n her room, she eventually happens upon the 38th floor lounge. Near exhausted  from her wanderings, Madoka plops herself upon one of the lounges chairs and relaxes for a while, watching as people come and go, after awhile she begins to nod and eventually falls asleep.

As she does, her form begins to flicker like an unstable hologram. Behind the facade of a pink-haired middle-school girl lies a strange girl clad in a dark dress and pale mask. Though she appears to be harmless, a strange and almost malevolent aura radiates from Madoka's small frame, like that of a monster who exists solely to spread despair to others. ]

[The end of Madoka's journey takes her to the tower's idyllic meadow, despite her recent nap, her body remains racked by exhaustion and grief. Leading the pink-haired magical girl to take the time away from being dealing with the tower's various horrors to sit and meditate on everything that has happened to her

Though she finds clarity among the grass and oddly real skies, among thoughts of home, friends, and the meaning of the power she had gained, darker images begin to seep through, the most basic form of her other half's obsessive need to corrupt her host's every good intention. 

"You should be happy, everyone you've ever known has finally be given true happiness."

The witch's words echoed in Madoka's head, making her feel worse then she already did. All she can do to shake the feeling is to shout at the top of her lungs.]

"Stop it...!" 

Comments

[mask_of_suffering]

It's all right! But is there really a girl named Madoka who looks like me here?

[starofpleiades]

Um, yeah, there is. So... you're not Madoka then?

[She's not sure if that would be more or less confusing than two Madokas]

[mask_of_suffering]

Oh no, my name is Madoka. I just thought it was strange that there was another Madoka here.

[She smiles.]

[starofpleiades]

Oh, yeah, it's pretty weird but it actually kind of happens a lot here for some reason. Double of people keep showing up; sometimes they're a lot a like or sometimes they're really different but they're still the same person.

[mask_of_suffering]

Someday I'd like to talk to her, I'm sure it would be interesting to talk to myself for a little while.

[Madoka giggles.]

I wonder if she has a witch in her heart like I do...

[starofpleiades]

Yeah, it would be kind of neat to meet yourself, wouldn't it?

[Those words stop Kazumi cold though]

A... witch? Inside of you?

[mask_of_suffering]

Oh, it's a little strange, but when I became a magical girl I was fused with something called a Witch as part of the process.

Now I'm part human and part witch, if that makes any sense.

[She smile awkwardly]

[starofpleiades]

Is that... normal for magical girls in your world?

[mask_of_suffering]

Yup, everyone who becomes a magical girl is the same way.

[starofpleiades]

That's... really strange. Do you still fight witches?

[mask_of_suffering]

Yes...

[Madoka's usually cheerful face fades into a rather solemn appearance.]

We all become witches after awhile, its unavoidable.

[starofpleiades]

I see... so that's the same for you...

[Kazumi looks down, not sure what to make of this different kind of magical girl]

Where I come from, magical girls - most magical girls - aren't made with witches. When we contract, our souls are removed and crystallized into Soul Gems. [Kazumi reaches up and rings her earring, causing it to transform into her Soul Gem. Hers looks a little different than others though...]
When we use too much magic or fall into despair... that's when they become Grief Seeds and we turn into witches.

[mask_of_suffering]

[Madoka just stares at the Soul Gem for awhile, taken in by its strange beauty. It was so much different from the world she knew, where girl's were forced to become monsters to fulfill their fondest wishes.

But more then that, it disturbed her that the end result was the same, magical girls became witches regardless of the route they took to get there, it was an awful feeling to say the least.]

Oh...

[starofpleiades]

Yeah... I...

[She pauses, returning her Soul Gem to its place]

Did you... know? When you made your contract, did you know they were putting a witch inside of you?

[mask_of_suffering]

I didn't know anything before hand. And apart from Homura-chan warning me that it was dangerous, I really had no reason to think anything bad would happen to me if I became a magical girl.

[starofpleiades]

I see... so that was the same as well.

[It was... really depressing to hear even in worlds where it was different, some things didn't change]

[mask_of_suffering]

Is there anyway to stop it?

[starofpleiades]

I don't know. For us, we can get someone to clean our Soul Gems - there's a man named Enoch who purifies them. I guess that's a sort of temporary solution... [She doesn't want to think what would happen if he disappeared.]

How do you keep from turning into witches in your world?

[mask_of_suffering]

[Madoka looks down nervously for a moment.]


W....We kill witches in the most painful ways possible. The more violent and gruesome the better, it's the only thing that stops the voices for a little while and slows down the process of becoming a witch.

[starofpleiades]

Th, that's horrible... [She recovers and quickly tries to clarify] I mean, that you have to do that! To make such a cruel system is really just...

[mask_of_suffering]

It hurt so much to have to kill them just to stay sane. I won't have to here, I guess, but that also means I'm going to become a witch someday soon.

[starofpleiades]

Yeah, there aren't any witches here but we still...

I wonder if there isn't some other way to help you?

[mask_of_suffering]

I hope so...

[A chill ran down Madoka's spine, becoming a witch meant harming everyone she loved. It was a future that hurt even to imagine for just a moment.]

I don't want to be a real witch.

[starofpleiades]

Mm. None of us do. I, I'm sure we'll think of something! Maybe we can ask one of the Kyuubeys... they're from a universe like mine but maybe they'll be able to figure something out?

[mask_of_suffering]

That sounds like a good idea, I doubt Kyubey would gain anything by us turning into witches here.