A Tent in the Forest of Magic.
Even Homura's steely resolve faltered a bit as Keine reentered the tent with Kyouko... or what was left of her, anyway. Mami covered her mouth with her hand as she simply muttered...
"Oh no..."
"I warned you all, but it seems experience is still the best teacher..." Keine said as she placed Kyouko down and swiftly retrieved some medical supplies from her pack.
"What... what happened?" Mami stuttered out as she looked at Kyouko's wounds. Enormous chunks of flesh were missing from her legs and torso, and she sported terribly fierce bite-marks on her left arm. She was breathing, but Mami couldn't watch too closely... fighting monsters was one thing... seeing her friend and former apprentice all but disemboweled was something quite different.
"She fought Rumia. Rumia was hungry. Rumia is no longer hungry." Keine briefly explained as she applied a tourniquet to the freely bleeding leg. The bone was exposed, but appeared unbroken. Keine prepared to stitch shut the worst of the wounds... "I don't suppose either of you would happen to be skilled physicians?"
Mami shook her head, but Homura nodded.
"I've had some experience, yes. Thankfully, it looks like she was transformed, so she'll probably pull through. Here, I'll help stitch her up... Mami, keep an eye on her Soul Gem and... You have some Healing Magic, I recall. Use it as I direct. It's going to take a lot of magic to heal this amount of damage, but a bit here and there will help it from getting worse while we treat her." Homura trailed off as she sat across from Keine and they coordinated Kyouko's care.
Mami nodded her head and attended to Kyouko's Soul Gem. Sure enough, it had been heavily taxed, and the brilliant ruby color had already faded to a sour clay-red. She started to use the small grief seeds to restore the luster of Kyouko's gem, being sure to store those already used separate from the fresh ones.
Even so, and even with Homura demanding that a bit of healing magic be spent here or there, Mami found her focus wandering. Sayaka would be a godsend right now... her healing abilities had been unparalleled. In her final fight, the girls had only won because Sayaka simply wouldn't let them stay down. They had been fighting a relentless foe... some sort of doll, as Mami recalled. The pain would have been incapacitating on its own, but Sayaka shouldered it all for the team as they fought on. Mami had some talent for healing, but it was a far cry from the near-invulnerability Sayaka had offered.
"Mami? Mami, are you alright?" Mami looked up to Homura as her name was called.
"Yeah... I... I was just thinking about Sayaka... how she died."
"It was how she wanted to go, you know that. She was too stubborn to die as anything but a martyr."
"Homura! Please, don't speak ill of her..." Mami pleaded, and Keine nodded in agreement before speaking.
"Yes, you shouldn't speak ill of the dead. Their journey is long enough without the support of their friends. " Keine said, and Homura quieted down as they kept working.
"Who's this 'Rumia', then? She seems suddenly relevant..." Homura asked after a long time, as they kept working on Kyouko's injuries. The floor of the tent was covered in her blood, but the flow had finally been staunched. The sun was already cresting over the horizon... Mami figured they'd been working for hours.
"She's the youkai of darkness. She's got a bit of a reputation for an appetite... you actually met her back at the shrine, but I wouldn't be surprised if you don't remember... you were all quite drunk at the time."
"Let me guess... she's another 'major player' in the area? Looking at these injuries..." Homura indicated Kyouko's barely moving body... "She must be quite dangerous."
"You're partially correct. As you've guessed, she is quite dangerous... but she's hardly a world-mover. Actually, she's among the very weakest of youkai... stronger than most fairies- ah, of course... you wouldn't know. Fairies are almost all terribly weak and stupid, hardly more impressive than the shrub or grass that births them. There are a few on the mental and physical level of young children, but they are the exception. They've been avoiding us, I think... normally you can't take three steps without twenty of them getting in your way. Anyway, even a few particularly strong fairies could overpower her on a good day. She's also... well, quite... slow on the uptake, so she tends to lose spellcard duels as well."
"Kyouko's no slouch at combat herself..." Homura said in Kyouko's defense...
"I can tell. Rumia had suffered a small nick and a deeper cut. It didn't seem either of them used anything other than extremely basic magic, so I'm quite impressed at how well Kyouko performed. Especially considering Kyouko was likely caught off guard."
Mami looked back to Kyouko's maimed form. "There's no need to mock her, Keine... She's going to be upset enough at losing a fight already..."
"I'm being entirely sincere. You're far more than simple humans to be able to inflict any damage at all to a youkai without any magic to speak of... You can't even fly, for heaven's sake. And to survive an ambush long enough to strike back shows remarkable skill and endurance."
"You know, I'm beginning to have second thoughts. There's no point in getting ourselves killed to try and bring Sayaka back. And I'm under the impression we aren't going to be seeing this satori that Mami mentioned..." Homura seemed to be ready to leave.
"You want to meet a satori..." Keine gave a hollow laugh. "That's proof enough that you haven't."
"Great, another youkai for us to fear, is it?" Homura sighed, ready to throw her hands up in disgust.
"Now you're catching on. Indeed, she's perhaps the most feared youkai. Even other youkai... even gods avoid her whenever possible. She's that fourth one I mentioned a while back."
"She? There's just the one?" Mami asked. That... didn't sound right. She could swear there were more... no, she'd just used an illusion to make it appear there were several, that was it.
"Indeed, and thank whichever gods receive your faith that there aren't more."
"If you've been telling us the truth, then let me ask you a question directly." Homura addressed Keine.
"I have, so please, go ahead, and if it's in my power to answer, I will." Keine looked a bit nervous at the confrontational attitude.
"What sort of chance do we have of doing this? Of rescuing Sayaka? Or of meeting with this satori?"
Keine quietly worked, changing some bandages as she considered this question carefully before replying nearly a minute later.
"I simply cannot know the answer to your first question. I do believe we can reach the Sanzu, but too much depends on the Shinigami, and more importantly, the Yama. A great deal of your success lies beyond your capability to influence. Meeting the satori would likely be simple enough. You perhaps have enough strength to reach her, but your lack of discipline may be the death of you before that... and would absolutely be your end should you actually meet her. I suppose dying would solve the issue of meeting the Yama or the satori, but you wouldn't exactly have a strong position to argue from, then."
"What, they know each other, then?" Mami asked, wondering what the connection could be.
Keine nodded. "Satori manages a specialized hell... actually, she's the only real worker there, now. Due to funding problems, that hell has been all but deserted... the workers moved elsewhere after their pay was slashed to nothing."
"They could only afford to keep one person? To manage hell? How does funding even run out? What funds could they possibly need?" Homura's voice began getting louder. Everything sounded more and more ridiculous.
"No, she stays there as a volunteer. Maybe she prefers the solitude. There are several currencies they use, depending on what they need. Yen's no good for souls, but many of the employees of the ministry need that more traditional fare."
"You're certainly very knowledgeable, Miss Kamishirasawa." Mami bowed her head.
"It's my job to be. I specialize in history, but I've been teaching general education as well for a long time now." Keine looked again to Kyouko. "Though, as you can see, I've much to learn about teaching lessons, yet. Now... we need to discuss what to do about Kyouko." Considering her condition at last stabilized enough, Keine and Homura cleaned up and packed up.
There was a light breakfast of plain, premade rice cakes. Keine fed Kyouko, who had since regained consciousness, though not mobility. Her wounds were healing slowly, and it was taxing on her Soul Gem. Although she was no longer bleeding, large chunks of flesh were still conspicuously absent. Mami wanted to heal her completely, but her healing magic just wasn't that efficient; It would drain Mami's Soul Gem far faster, and they had limited enough resources already.
"Now, we face a difficult decision..." Keine said. "First, how many more of those crystals do you have?"
"Grief seeds? Quite a few, but at the rate we're going through them, we're going to run out before too long."
"I was worried about that. Well, here's my offer. Eirin's clinic is quite a distance away, but if I can fly there, I can bring Kyouko there for treatment today and return her tomorrow. If anyone can treat her efficiently, Eirin's the one."
"But you told us we shouldn't separate from you..."
"Indeed, you shouldn't. But I certainly don't have the time now to teach you how to fly. So I would need to leave you two alone. I think you both know the dangers of that by now..." Keine pointedly looked to Kyouko. "But we can't have you running out of supplies partway through the journey, either. Again, I leave the decision to you... I simply don't know enough about your magic." Keine said, and began building some sort of stretcher while the others discussed.
"Well? What do you two think?"
"I can't just be a drain on you guys like this. I'll go back to Eirin, and if Keine doesn't wait for me to be treated, she should be able to get back in time to protect you for the night." Kyouko said, looking shamefully off to the side.
"Sorry Kyouko, but it's not that simple. I don't dare cover that sort of distance twice in the same day... and then having to go back for you again the next day? I know my limits, and that's simply too dangerous... for me, and for all of you." Keine interjected.
"Well, as she says, it wouldn't do for us to run out of power before finishing up here. And if we're too drained, we won't even be able to fight at the next full moon to refill." Homura's cold assessment left Mami's vote irrelevant, but she voiced it anyway.
"Go ahead, Kyouko. Homura and I will be fine for a night, I think." Mami said, though there was doubt in her voice... her confidence was badly shaken after seeing Kyouko's injuries.
Keine seemed to remember something. "Ah! You know, Marisa lives around here. Her house is just a bit off the road, a ways down. You can't miss it. I'm sure she'll be happy to put you two up for a night."
"That seals the deal, then. You two be careful. I'll try and heal up as quickly as I can." Kyouko said as she took the small pouch full of grief seeds offered by Mami. It wasn't their entire store, but it should be enough for Kyouko to heal fully, if the clinic Keine was talking about couldn't help her.
Keine nodded "Very well. Help me get her on to this, then." The crude stretcher was a little unusual, and as they placed Kyouko on it, Homura and Mami remained rather confused until Keine grabbed a loop of rope that tied the four corners together, causing the supple wood to bend gently into a pouch sort of shape, with a level board in the center.
"Just remember, stay on the road... around nightfall you should be able to see Marisa's house from the road." Keine waved, took a firm hold on the wood, and zipped off into the air, vanishing over the treeline in moments.
"She's... really quick. I suppose we'd better get going, then..."
"Indeed..." Homura was biting her lips in thought, but Mami already knew asking wouldn't make Homura more willing to share her thoughts.
On the Road
"Homura... all these 'other versions' of us... what happened to them?" Mami asked as they kept walking at a comfortable pace, keeping an eye out for any trouble.
"You mean after I left? I've no idea. I don't know if those pasts continued or not once I left... I truly hope they didn't, for many of them were rather bleak."
"No... That's not what I meant... and it's not very comforting, either. I'm getting the feeling you avoided the question deliberately."
"I did. I'm sorry I can't share the whole truth with you, but... well, I don't trust you that much."
"What, you think I can't handle the truth, Homura?"
"That is exactly correct." Homura simply stated as she continued to walk down the road, continuing to avoid eye contact.
That hadn't quite been the response Mami had hoped for. She tried approaching the topic a different way.
"How did we meet, then? I mean the first time."
"You and Madoka saved my life from... a wraith, or close enough. I stuck around you two and watched you fight. It all seemed good enough until a wraith of unprecedented power claimed both of your lives, first you, with Madoka dying from her wounds soon after her victory. They were too grievous for even a Magical Girl to bear. That's when I made my wish to protect Madoka. Now, I think its only fair you do the same. Tell me your side of how we met."
Mami thought the request a bit odd, but obliged.
"You were a transfer student in Sayaka's class. Kyubey had been scouting her at the time, so I had been watching her as well. I saved you from a wraith, like you described. Sayaka contracted soon after, and Kyouko returned for reasons of her own thereafter. You accompanied us on our hunts, clearing civilians from the scene and such, but you never really joined in until Sayaka... fought herself dry."
Mami finished recounting the tale, and turned to view Homura's reaction. She had, as expected, very little of one. Ever since she'd revealed herself as a magical girl the night of Sayaka's fall, Homura had become far more taciturn. Doubtless the trauma she'd been through that night gnawed at her even now, just as it ate at Mami.
"I see. Thank you. I guess that clears things up a bit."
"Could I ask... about Madoka? You said we both saved you when we met that first time... a time I don't remember."
"That is correct, yes. She favored a bow, and you used your muskets... I doubt you'd have been successful if you relied more on close combat."
"So... if we both saved you... why is it only her you wished to protect?" Mami hoped that Homura had a reason Mami was overlooking. Hoped that Mami, even if in a past she couldn't remember, had formed that sort of close bond...
Homura stopped for a brief moment. "She was worth it... special. You would understand if you met her, I know. For all your admirable qualities, they're tainted by your insecurities. Madoka was different. A true angel, free from any such doubts or weakness. She lived the act that you try to put on... the one Sayaka could never live up to."
Mami didn't know what to say. Homura had seemed to be talking mostly to herself, looking up at the sky as she resumed walking. Her gaze seemed to fall upon something in the far distance, and Mami could swear she saw the hint of a smile on Homura's lips.
A smile meant for someone else. Mami pulled her eyes back to the road, knowing none would ever smile that way for her.
The two continued in an awkward silence until the sun began to set.
That Evening
"Look, that house must be it!" Mami pointed, her sharp eyes noticing the faint cloud of smoke in the distance through the trees. Homura peered in the same direction, and shrugged. Once the sun had begun to set, Mami and Homura had climbed a nearby tree to get a better view.
"I can't see it, but if you can, let's not waste any time." Homura said. She and Mami could both feel the tension. They were being stalked, and they didn't know what by. They hurriedly clambered down the tree, and stepped off the path.
Fear guided their steps as they continued deeper into the forest. The sun was setting quickly, and darkness swiftly covered the area. The shadows themselves seemed to be stalking the pair... Mami was certain she saw something moving just beyond her sight.
After what seemed like an eternity, they burst into a small clearing, where they saw a simple cottage, right out of a fairy tale. Given that she'd met a tengu, oni, and witch, maybe it was. Stories of witches in forest homes came to mind... but since a witch was exactly who they were looking for...
"I really hope this is the right place, because if it isn't, we're in trouble." Mami uttered nervously as she approached the door and knocked.
No reply seemed forthcoming for several seconds. Mami thought she felt something brush along her back, but saw nothing when she turned around, save for a confused and suddenly more worried Homura. Upon turning back towards the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a doll inches away from her face. It didn't help that the doll's head was eerily flopped forward, nor that it wielded a small razorblade, wielding it as a person might wield a meat cleaver. Mami let out a startled yelp.
Homura turned to Mami when she heard Mami's yelp, and almost as quickly returned her gaze to the forest behind them. The shadows seemed to move... then any doubt faded. There was no mistaking the atmosphere now. Even if she hadn't seen the shapes stampeding towards them, she couldn't possibly miss the thumping they were making. The time for stealth had ended, and now it was a mad rush to see who got their dinner first.
A delicate pair of hands grasped Mami and Homura by the shoulder, firmly pulling them into the house before closing the door behind them.
"You seek refuge?"
Mami turned towards their savior, but that voice hadn't been Marisa's. The woman's face wasn't unlike Marisa's own, though it seemed more delicate. While Marisa felt rough, this woman looked like a finely crafted doll... almost too delicate... like she was made of porcelain, with thin blonde hair kept in check by a simple hairband. She wore a long blue dress, a rather simple affair compared to Keine's busy outfit.
"We... ah, sorry to intrude, but we-" Mami stammered out.
"We seek refuge, yes. We had intended to do so at Marisa's house, but it seems we mistook your house for hers." Homura explained, but Mami could tell Homura was speaking a bit faster than she usually did while wearing her controlled mask.
"I'm Alice. Bedrooms are upstairs. I was just about to begin preparing dinner." The distant tone in Alice's voice made Mami recall some more stories she'd heard about witches... and hoped Alice's offer didn't imply that her guests would be dinner.
"Oh, thank you. We have our own food, and we'd hate to impose."
"If you wish." Alice said. "I'm busy with my research, but it's no real effort to simply prepare extra portions."
"We'd... appreciate it, Alice. Thank you." Mami accepted the offer as she looked around the room nervously. All sorts of miscellaneous things lie about, though she couldn't identify many of them, and what little she did was generally from history textbooks or legends. A mortar and pestle, a great deal of glassware, some empty, some filled with liquids, gels or powders of various colors... it seemed like the sort of alchemy lab one might see in a movie. In another corner was a loom, with a spinning wheel next to it.
All of this was odd enough on its own, but what awed Mami were the dolls. Easily dozens of them, perhaps more, lining the shelves which covered the two walls not decorated with art, clocks, or the like. The dolls' empty eyes seemed to judge everyone in the room. Many were finished, but many more were clearly works in progress, their bodies unstuffed, or missing limbs or a head or clothes or hair, and all of various levels of quality, from simple stuffed dolls, to straw voodoo dolls, to miniature people. Even those detailed dolls paled in craftsmenship next to the dozens of dolls that drifted along the room, performing various tasks. A pair of them worked a mortar and pestle, grinding something up. Six were currently weaving on the loom, a trio worked the spinning wheel, and many of the rest used their entire bodies to lift miscellaneous glassware.
The finished, moving dolls seemed perfectly crafted. Mami couldn't even be sure they were dolls... it seemed more like an elf workshop, especially with the speed, skill, and grace the dolls demonstrated as they worked. The sound was eerie, though... for all the motion there was, there was hardly even a sound made beyond the heavy breathing of Mami and Homura. Even Alice's own breath seemed out of place as the dolls silently continued their chores. Beakers and flasks were placed on the table with less noise than a pin dropping and the loom must have been immaculately maintained, as it remained silent as the dolls worked on it.
Mami turned to face Alice again, but already their blonde haired host had turned, and even now entered another room.
"Uh... I guess we'll just... wait here?" Mami called out.
"Tables are in here." came Alice's voice from the next room. Homura and Mami shared an uneasy glance before crossing the room to reach the door Alice did. They carefully avoided any dolls, though the little things seemed to keep themselves out of the way.
"Well... thank you very much for letting us stay, Miss Alice."
"You aren't the first. I recommend not leaving until dawn, though. Other's who've done that don't often live to regret it." Mami wasn't sure whether to take Alice's advice as a warning or a threat, but remembering the shadows pouncing... Yes, staying in the house seemed wise, unsettling though it was. The room they entered was simple, its most prominant feature a fireplace bearing a cauldron. Dolls worked carefully around it and a nearby table, preparing a complicated meal indeed, favoring several varieties of mushrooms and herbs.
"Are all those dolls yours, miss-" Mami prompted Alice for a last name.
"Just Alice is fine. I made them all, yes." She answered as she merely watched the dolls continue to cook, her blue eyes watching her two guests more than the dolls.
"I've never seen such craftsmanship... and... well, I've never seen them move, either. Well not like that, anyway."
A simple nod was the only response as Alice continued to watch the dolls idly.
Homura spoke up. "You're a rather quiet type, aren't you?"
"I'm a touch busy is all." Alice explained... though her relaxed, idle posture certainly gave more of an impression of supreme laziness, especially next to the busied activity of the dolls.
"You don't really... look busy." A sweeping gesture from Homura indicated the dolls as she spoke. "Not compared to those, I mean."
"And who do you think is making them move?" Alice's simple question sent chills down Mami's spine. So many of them... and she was controlling them all?
"They aren't moving on their own?" Homura seemed to share Mami's disbelief.
"Despite my best efforts, they aren't yet able to do that, no. Though, you two seem to be skilled puppeteers as well, so perhaps you might offer some insight."
Mami looked at her host, confused. "I've never handled a puppet in my life..."
"You're doing it right now. But if you don't think you are..." Alice's eyes ignited, revealing within them a burning passion. "Then... are you yourselves awakened dolls? Oh my goodness!"
"No... our situation is different." Homura insisted.
"Oh ho! To think something like yourselves would stumble right into my home! How marvelous!" The woman's blue eyes shone as she looked over them and a disturbing smile grew on her face.
The two Magical Girls shared a quick glance that made it clear they had preferred Alice when she was quiet.
Alice made a grand gesture over the two of them. "And these magical threads! I've never seen such quality! Perhaps that's the secret... Yes, I haven't explored that at all, have I? If they exhibited enough magical transference, then perhaps enough magic could flow from the creator to give them a sense of life! From there, I'd just-"
The rambling continued as Mami and Homura awkwardly listened. Mami had finally had enough.
"..." Her voice failed to obey her. When she tried to move her arm to get Homura or Alice's attention, it too failed to heed her call.
"Oh! So that's what it looks like when you try to move on your own. Interesting... the tension increases, yet the distance still decreases..." Alice continued her rambling as Mami could no longer move... until her head moved of its own volition to look towards Homura, who looked... resigned?
"There we go! I don't know who taught you such fine control, but I suspect they'd have some things to teach even myself about puppetry. Oh, I suppose I should explain. Don't worry, I'm simply testing your threads, seeing what makes you two so special among dolls. Very few are those that think themselves alive, you see."
I can't move! Why? Why won't my body listen?
"Now, if I do this..." Alice made no visible movement, but Mami's right arm slowly raised up and turned, flexing at the elbow as well, though it soon straightened out.
"A counter-intuitive setup for puppetry, but reasonable enough if the puppet believes itself alive, I suppose..." The words made Mami fume. This woman had just implied Mami wasn't alive. Yet, despite her best efforts, she couldn't protest the fact that she was.
"Hey, calm down. I'll let you both go in the morning. Just as soon as I've properly examined you two." Mami felt Alice's gentle touch sample the quality of Mami's clothes and skin.
"Interesting fabric... and the skin is human, no doubt. You two must have been extraordinarily vain to bother making skin for your bodies. I wonder just how much detail you put into them. Yes, perhaps that's the trick... I hadn't even considered it, but skin grafts might be what they need..."
Fear stabbed into Mami, and her heart started racing... before she felt something seem to pull on it, and it resumed its normal beating. Even so, her mind flew into a panic when she saw that Alice had produced a straight-bladed razor.
Mami's left hand moved of its own accord, as if to receive the razor. A second later she did as the blade slashed swiftly across her palm. She managed an involuntary jerk from the sudden pain before her hand once again held itself steady, as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Yes... slightly dulled reception, but odd that you decided to keep so much sensory input from your body. Considering the particular sensitivity to pain, you're either a masochist or a novice, and given the craftsmanship of your body, I'm forced to conclude the former. Well, that should make this rather enjoyable for you, then."
Mami tried to shake her head fervently, tried to call for help, or to declare that she had no idea what Alice was talking about. She had only a basic understanding of her own magic, and none of... whatever Alice was doing.
Though, even as she thought that, she sensed a similarity. She saw streaks of light... some sort of threads or ribbons on Alice's empty left hand. Hundreds... no, thousands? More? Many passed through the walls of the room, and a few were clearly linked to the dolls around the room which had settled down and ceased moving. Most of them, however, joined up with Mami and Homura.
"Well, since you're masochists, I suppose I can reward you for your participation. I'll switch to a dull blade so you can enjoy this while I work." Alice's right hand now wielded a dull, chipped razor. She rolled Mami's shirt up, exposing her stomach, assessed it, and brought the knife to bear. Mami's mind screamed helplessly at her body to move, or escape, or defend herself, but nothing so much as a change in pulse resulted.
Thankfully, everything went black just as the cold metal touched her skin.
The Next Morning
Mami awoke suddenly. The horrible nightmare seemed to be over. She flexed her left hand, thankful it moved at her command... and suddenly worried once again as she noticed the bandage wrapped around her palm, though she felt the injury had already healed. There was no doubt it had really happened, then.
A blond haired doll appeared in front of her, causing her to skitter backwards in her bed. The doll moved to present something, and Mami rolled out of bed to try and find a weapon to defend herself. Finding some sort of cane, she brought it to bear against the doll, which now wielded a rather benign unrolled parchment.
It seems you have awakened. Please, come downstairs. Breakfast is ready. You skipped dinner last night, so I made extra portions. Your clothes are in the dresser beside you.
Mami looked herself over carefully... nothing seemed wrong. Nothing was wrong, but something was different somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. As the letter promised, her neatly folded clothes were in a nearby dresser, as were three other spare outfits. All just as neatly folded... she couldn't even tell which was the one she -had- been wearing. Choosing one of the outfits at random, she got dressed quietly and went down the stairs, out of the small room.
As she entered the main living area, let out an involuntary sigh of relief.
"Keine! Kyouko! You wouldn't believe-"
"I would, actually. My apologies... I had misjudged the pace you two would keep without my guidance." Keine bowed her head apologetically. Meanwhile, Kyouko was looking as good as- no, better than ever.
"Yeah, she told me to wait outside while she talked to Alice. Man, these dolls are creepy, aren't they?" Kyouko gestured loosely to the dolls that busily kept fresh food on the table; no small task, considering Kyouko was sitting there and seemed far from satiated. Thankfully she looked much healthier... really, she had no signs of her previous injuries at all. Still, Mami was worried how such a crushing defeat had effected her mind. She would try to ask later. Mami nodded in agreement before asking the question that was nagging at her mind.
"Where is Homura?"
The answer was provided by Alice's voice from the next room over. "She's still resting. I'm sorry to have misjudged you two as poorly as I did. I thought-"
"We discussed this, Alice." interrupted Keine.
"Right, of course. Still, I hope you accept my apology, and take my thanks and your payment."
"Payment...?" Mami wondered aloud. "You mean those spare clothes?"
"In part, yes. I made them while you slept, as well as these." The voice's owner gracefully entered the room bearing a doll with an uncanny resemblance to Mami, and another doll made to appear as Homura. She handed them to Mami, who looked them over in awe. To make dolls of this quality in a single night was unthinkable.
"Thank you..."
"Consider them part of my apology. I also improved your bonds to your body... your friend... Homura, was it? She should be able to tell you more."
Kyouko looked confused between them. "What happened? It sounds like an eventful night."
"I will let Mami and Homura explain if they wish to. If not, then it's their secret to keep." Keine chastised Kyouko, who grinned as she joked back.
"Oh, a private affair, is it? I understand."
"No... No, it's nothing like that, Kyouko." Mami's protest drew a hearty laugh from Kyouko. When she recognized the grim expression on Mami's face, though, she cleared her throat and changed the topic.
"Oh yeah, before I forget, Eirin said to explain these to you two." Kyouko showed Mami some small red pills. "She said that if you take them before you sleep, it should help restore our magic a bit, like our grief seeds. Called it ko...something something."
"Did she now?" Alice spoke with a raised eyebrow. "I hadn't heard of Kochoumugan having that effect."
"Yeah, that's what she called it. Seemed to work pretty darned well for me." Kyouko formed her Soul Gem, and its ruby radiance filled the room for a few moments before she returned it to its ring form.
"If you're interested in it, you could ask Eirin yourself, Alice."
"I think I might do just that. My, but you three are interesting folks. My thanks once again for your help with my research." The blond magician bowed her head. "I suspect Eirin warned you of the dangers of overdosing on this medicine?"
"Well, she said just to take at most one a night, and she wouldn't be held responsible if we used more than that. She also said to give some to you, actually. It's why we came here at all; it's all she demanded as payment from us..." Kyouko handed some more of the pills to Alice.
"My thanks. This saves me a trip." The pills vanished nearly instantly, put away with some sort of sleight of hand. "Ah, it seems your friend has awakened."
Mami looked around for Homura, and after several minutes of increasingly awkward silence over breakfast, saw her coming down the stairs. She had seen better days... she looked drowsy, as though she had just awakened. When her eyes caught Alice, she panicked, and turned around to reenter the door she had just left... which had slammed in her face, causing her to roll painfully down the stairs.
"It's too late to go back to bed. Your friends are all here and waiting for you."
Dazed from the fall, Homura quietly looked around from her position, face up on the ground, to see that the puppeteer told the truth. She groaned quietly.
"Oh, don't worry. I have plenty of data now, thanks to you." Alice said to Homura as the latter picked herself wearily up off the ground. "Of course, if you all want to come back later, I wouldn't mind another visit..." Alice suggested hopefully.
"No! No no no!" Homura's eyes grew wide as she cried out. Mami shuddered at the trauma in Homura's voice, and thought back to what had made herself lose consciousness. If Alice had really gone further with Homura... Mami felt herself getting lightheaded at the mere thought.
Noticing Homura and Mami's reactions, Keine turned to Alice. "Alice, I recommend you spend some more time at the human village. Put on some more puppet shows... you're forgetting again what it means to be human."
"Of course I know what it means, Keine, and don't worry, I don't plan to forget my humanity. But these girls aren't truly human, either, anymore. It's really most fascinating! You see, they-"
"I am aware of their condition, Alice Margatroid. More to the point, they are under my protection. I take that seriously, even if they do not."
Kyouko was about to voice her objection, but Keine had anticipated this, and a preemptive glare stopped Kyouko, who meekly lowered her eyes.
"Yes, yes... my apologies once again. Once you are finished eating breakfast, please leave. I'll make it a point to visit the village once I've stabilized my current experiments."
"Thank you. You're a great inspiration to many youths of the village, so please..."
"I said I'll go already, Keine. Now, don't mind me, I'm simply going to clean up a little." Alice said, before her attention clearly drifted off somewhere.
"Well, it's rude to refuse her hospitality. Go ahead and eat and we'll be on our way." Keine suggested, and the three magical girls turned their full attention to the warm food on the table... the sooner they were out of this creepy house, the better.
Author's notes: Yeah. Poor Kyouko. Poor Mami. Poor Homura.
So, this interpretation of Alice stems from a thought I had that Magicians like Alice and Patchouli are part mad-scientist. She's subtly inhuman, and when you get her rushing full speed down that path... well...