Self Discovery

Annabelle Lee sat frozen in her seat, eyes wide open, mouth slightly agape, breath caught in her throat, and fingers digging into her armrests. She had expected many things from this meeting with the Madam: a debriefing, intimidation tactics, and a great of being talked down to.

What she hadn't expected to be psycho-analyzed.

"I'm waiting," the Madam said.

After a brief internal struggle, Annabelle Lee managed to find her voice again. Well, part of it at least. "M-me?" she choked out. "Why?"

"Because I'm interested," the Madam replied.

"But…th-th-there's nothing interesting about me," Annabelle Lee protested. "I'm just a-another girl who doesn't want to stay and is trying to get out!"

The Madam's calm gaze burrowed into her eyes. "You mean die."

"Yeah, but I'm already dead! I just, you know, want to start acting like it." Annabelle Lee ran a shaking hand through her unevenly slashed hair. What was the point of this? What did the Madam want? "I just want to leave, that's all."

"Is that right?" The Madam took a long sip of her tea, ignoring the fact that her guest was squirming in discomfort. "And why is that?"

Annabelle Lee's brow twisted up in confusion. She slowly shook her head, mouth moving soundlessly before she blurted out, "Look, what's the point of this? Lots of Void Walkers want to leave. That's the whole part of being a Void Walker! What does it matter why I-" Remembering who she was mouthing off to, Annabelle Lee clamped her jaws shut before anything that could be constituted as rudeness slipped out. She averted her gaze, fixing to unmoving on the surface of the coffee table, all the while praying that she hadn't just purchased her ticket to a weighted tour of the bottom of the river.

Fortunately, the Madam didn't seem all that offended. In fact, she looked more amused than anything. "You are correct, there are," she said. "But we are not talking about them. You see, you interest me, Annabelle Lee."

Annabelle Lee frowned. "W-why?" she stammered.

"Well, that will take a little explaining," said the Madam. "You see, before you arrived, I glanced over your personal bio."

Oh. Well, that couldn't be good. Maybe not bad, but probably not good either. "Oh. Uh, did you?"

The Madam nodded. "It was…unexceptional. Five plus decades as a Void Walker, during which your service could be described as more than adequate, but otherwise ordinary. Nine years working security at the Silent Mill, five years as part of the Tower of Naught's sanitary crew, another two as a hygienic inspector, before you and your sister were finally assigned to patrol duty at Genocide City, where you remained until a few days ago. Relatively few instances of receiving disciplinary action, no notable foul-ups until now, a decent win-loss record in local fighters' circuits, and from what I can tell, had you not been interrupted, in three years' time you and your sister would have been transferred to north-western border patrol, at the Cathedral of Nihilism. All-in-all, you were a good Void Walker, but far from a remarkable one. Do I have the right of it?"

She did, though Annabelle Lee wish it weren't the case. During her time of service, she really hadn't cared much about standing out from the crowd. She hadn't been interested in becoming employee of the month or garnering accolades and commendations. Her only goal had been to do her job to the best of her ability until she had progressed enough so as to present her name for consideration at one of the Releasing Ceremonies. But listening to the Madam dispassionately list out her lack of notability like that made her wish that she hadn't been quite so mediocre.

Hey, she thought bitterly. At least you managed to screw up enough that Reibey fired you in person. That's something, at least.

"I see," the Madam said after noting the look Annabelle Lee's face. "Your psyche profile was much the same. Classic misanthrope. Jaded, cynical, and utterly self-loathing. You hate where you are, you hate what you are, and most of all, you hate yourself. No friends, no one who cares enough about you to put a good word in for you, no one you feel any sort of affection toward save for your mentally stunted sister. Again, your run-of-the-mill Void Walker, noteworthy only in that you reached that stage in your first year rather than your first century, which is standard. But even that isn't unheard of. All in all, completely and utterly unremarkable."

Annabelle Lee cringed. Damn it, what was wrong with her? She was supposed to be the type to never take personal criticism to heart, but the Madam's words were cutting deep. As thick as her skin was, it looked to have one overlooked and undefended entrance. She looked down, focusing on under untouched cup of tea, not daring to meet the Madam's eyes.

Apparently, her silence was inadequate as a response. "Speak, please," the Madam said.

Annabelle Lee didn't raise her head, though the grimace on her face had to be obvious. "Wh-what's the point of this?" she rasped out. "You already know who I am, what I am. I'm a nobody, yeah. So why'd you send the rest of the guys out? Why try to figure out who I am if you already know?"

"Because I feel your dossier is incomplete," the Madam said in a prim tone. "Based simply on what I've read, I expected to see someone without real ambition, without empathy, and without hope. Just another shambling pawn without a sense of self-worth, throwing herself into the Abyss so she wouldn't have to live with the shame of her own existence anymore."

"I…you kinda did."

"Did I?" The Madam studied Annabelle Lee for an uncomfortable moment, her pale green eyes regarding her like a capture specimen about to be pinned to a wooden box. "Tell me something, Annabelle Lee. What do you think of this city? It's okay to be honest. I'm not especially fond of it either."

Annabelle Lee blinked. What, was this another test? "W-well, it's kind of…"

"Yes?"

After several seconds, Annabelle Lee finally settled on an answer that was honest but unrevealing. "Smelly."

"Not untrue," the Madam said with a small, amused smile. "What else?"

"Crowded."

The Madam nodded. "Yes. And what else?"

Annabelle Lee sighed. Oh, what the hell. "It's…it's a cesspool. You've got a bunch of worthless, hopeless idiots shuffling around with their heads down, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, until they get snatched up by a slaver ring or soul harvesting cartel or something. It's stifling."

"Indeed," nodded the Madam. "Continue."

"What do you want me to say?" Annabelle Lee said with a helpless shrug. "This place sucks. It's a great big cage, where you either become a monster or you get trapped."

"Hmmm, yes." There was a knowing glint in the Madam's eyes that made Annabelle Lee uncomfortable. And you hate cages, don't you?

"I'm not a big fan of closed spaces," Annabelle Lee said honestly.

"You must have hated your quarters then," the Madam remarked. "I hear they are not starved for space."

"Didn't care for it, no. But I could deal. It was just something I had to put up with on my way out."

"But Bertha's Brothel is different?" the Madam pressed.

Annabelle Lee struggled to come up with an articulate answer before just settling with, "There is no way out of here."

"No, there is not," the Madam said, nodding. She took a dainty sip from her cup and set it down. "In a way, it is as much as monster as those who have made their fortunes here. And you pity those that have caught in its jaws."

Annabelle Lee frowned. "I don't like closed spaces," she said again.

"Nor do you much care for the soul harvesting industry."

"No," Annabelle Lee said, shaking her head.

"Why not?"

"Same reason. No way out. At least, back in the world of the living, if you got taken away to get tortured or have your organs harvested or something horrible, at least you had death to look forward to. Once you were gone, you were out."

"But those caught by soul harvesters don't even have that," the Madam continued for her. "They are kept imprisoned indefinitely, with no freedom, few comforts, and their life essences constantly being sucked away. A hideous existence, by anyone's standards."

Annabelle Lee shuddered. Just thinking of it made her skin crawl. "Yeah."

"Which is why you reacted so strongly to Turpentine."

Annabelle Lee blinked. "What?"

"The calliope," the Madam explained. "The one trapped in the hookah bong upstairs."

"Oh. Yeah."

The Madam pursed her lips. "Strange. The girl detailed in the psyche profile I was given would have no reason to care for her. After all, what is another luckless loser? She should have been nothing to you. And yet, you were disgusted by her predicament. You felt sorry for her."

Well, that much was true. "Even I've got limits," Annabelle Lee mumbled.

The Madam quirked an elegant silver eyebrow. "And yet, here you are, ready to depart on mission to steal away the freedom of two girls that have done you no wrong or-"

Annabelle Lee's head snapped up. "No wrong?" she said, mouth agape. "Are you serious? Do you have anything what those bitches put us through?"

"Yes, I do," the Madam said calmly. "They did nothing more than react to multiple unprovoked attacks by you and your associates. They defended themselves from unknown assailants and did so successfully. Do you really resent them for succeeding while you failed? Tell me: was the punishment you endured really any fault of their own? Or should they have simply lain down and let you carry them off?"

Annabelle Lee blinked. "I-"

"But despite the fact that Kyoko Sakura and Oktavia von Seckendorff have done you no ill beyond what you had coming, despite entrapment being the one thing capable of eliciting moral outrage from that dried walnut you call a heart, you are now about to become the very thing you despise. You are going to take these two girls away from a place they want to be, and deliver them to somewhere they very much wish to avoid. And all things considered, it is highly likely that, upon arrival, no one will hear from them again."

"Well, I suppose that…"

"And not only that, to do so you are seeking the aid of the sort of person that you hate. After all, it is a well-documented fact that, despite the Brothel being the foremost of my interests, I also have my hand in a number of other enterprises as well, soul harvesting being among them. I fund and profit from the only thing capable of disgusting you." The Madam's pale emerald gaze bore into Annabelle Lee's vibrant amethyst eyes. "So tell me: are you still eager to accept my assistance in this matter, or am I too odious of a monster to take anything from?"

Now Annabelle Lee was starting to grow just a little frustrated. Yeah, okay, she did hate the whole soul harvesting business, and yeah, the fact that the Madam profited from it made her feel just a little bit of contempt for the crime lord. And fine, maybe her hatred of Kyoko Sakura wasn't exactly morally justified, and okay sure, she was the bad guy of their little rivalry. But damn it, if she was a bad guy, then why should something like conscience prevent her from achieving her goals? "W-what do you want me to say?" she said, spreading her hands. "Okay, so I'm a tremendous hypocrite. Fine. Yeah, all that stuff bothers me, but I want out!"

"And you'll do anything in your power to achieve your goal?"

"Yes!"

The Madam sighed. "That is precisely what I'm talking about. Those two identical girls you came in with? Arzt Kochen and Nie Blühen Herzen? They care for nothing save for living out their demented fantasy life." She sniffed, as if detecting an unpleasant odor. "And your sister is too simple-minded to bother with."

Annabelle Lee frowned. While it was true that Ticky Nikki was a neurological mess whose grasp of morality was a very loose thing, she still felt compelled to defend her. "Well, uh, she's actually a lot smarter than people give her credit for.

"It is not her cunning I question. I'm sure she can be quite clever should the situation call for it," the Madam answered. "However, the fact remains that she has gleefully plunged into amorality and never looked back. You, however, are not beyond help, though you soon will be. You can yet be redeemed."

To this, Annabelle Lee had absolutely nothing to say at all. The look on her face said it all.

However, the Madam evidently wanted more. "Speak."

Annabelle Lee's mouth worked soundlessly before she managed to croak out, "What is this? Redeemed? You're trying to help me redeem myself?"

"Is this so surprising?"

"Yeah! You're…" Annabelle Lee struggled to find the appropriate title. "You're a crime lord! The crime lord! The Madam! You…you…you like…"

"Like what?" the Madam said, tilting her head to one side. "The Queen of Sin? The Mistress of All Evil? Dark Overseer of the Underworld?" Though she didn't smile, there was a note of amusement in her voice.

"Er-"

The Madam shrugged. "A bit of an exaggeration, if so." She gestured to herself and the business suit she was wearing. "As you can see, my flowing dark cape is at the cleaners, I seem to have misplaced my spike-covered scepter, and I had to return that throne of skulls for the sake of my back." This time she did smile, though it was a small one. "Besides, that sort of on-the-nose evil seems to be your former people's bag. If it weren't for your impressive recruitment statistics, I'd offer to find Oblivion a new image consultant, one that isn't quite so melodramatic. But I suppose that's the advantage of holding an ironfisted monopoly."

"…uh…okay."

"But beyond that tangent, if the point you were making was that I am a monster, one with a great deal of power, you would be correct. But please don't mistake me for a cape-swishing, manically laughing madwoman. I am a businesswoman above all else. And besides, I wasn't born a monster."

Annabelle Lee blinked. "Er, is anyone?"

"Not really, no," the Madam said, shaking her head. "Some perhaps are born with certain qualities that make the transition more likely, but monsters are constructed, not created." She leaned forward a bit. "Tell me something, Annabelle Lee: if I told you that, before my sudden and untimely death, I was the daughter of well-respected politician, the president of my school's student council, heavily involved in community service, and fervently believed in making the world a better place, would you believe me?"

Actually, despite who the Madam was and the sort of business practices she espoused, that description seemed to rest easier on the shoulders of the frail looking girl Annabelle Lee saw before her. "Kinda…" she admitted.

The Madam nodded. "When I contracted, it was with the same intent. I wanted to fight for justice and stability. I thought to unite the other Puella Magi, to end the endless competition and undercutting that takes place in their interactions. To make hunting more efficient, to minimize the waste of magic, to ensure that everyone had enough grief seeds, and reduce the number of deaths." She sighed. "Unfortunately, I was dissuaded of that design less than a week in."

"Too hard?" Annabelle Lee guessed. That was the number one cause of the death of most moral crusades.

"No, but the bullet that went through my forehead was," the Madam said wryly. She tapped a perfectly manicured nail against the spot where her brow joined together. "Hard enough to pierce right through my skull and liquefy my brains on its way through."

"Oh."

The Madam shrugged. "And upon my arrival here…well, let's just say the area I spawned was less than accommodating to the soft of heart. There were many lessons I had to learn in order to survive, and fortunately, I've always been a fast learner."

"Uh, okay."

The Madam leaned back and crossed her legs. "But now we're drifting away from the point. It is true, I have made my choices and have fallen too far to pull myself back up. But the same cannot be said for you. I'll admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for hard luck stories. And I'd rather you not slide down the same path I did. It's a bit crowded down here at the bottom as it is."

Annabelle Lee frowned. Even with the explanation, this conversation was still very strange. "So…what exactly are you offering?"

"A chance, quite possibly your last one. Forget this business. I can provide transport for you and your sister to anywhere you'd like. Lordus? Antilles? Westwitch? I can even arrange for you to have work and housing when you arrive. Honest work, not the kind I'm usually associated with. You'll be able to…better yourself, for lack of a better word."

The strange thing was, she seemed to be entirely sincere. There was an earnestness to her voice, almost as if she were pleading with Annabelle Lee to accept her offer. But that didn't make any sense at all. If anything, it only made Annabelle Lee even more incredulous. "Are you serious?" she said.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?"

"I…" Annabelle Lee struggled to put her thoughts in order. "What is this, some kind of test? Did Lord Reibey tell you to do this, to double-check my commitment or something?"

The Madam frowned slightly. "Not at all. My intentions are entirely genuine."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Annabelle Lee protested. Ah hell, the Madam had told her to be honest. "You just met me! You don't know me! Okay, so I got really creeped out by some of the stuff I've seen here. And just because of that, you want to make me into some kind charity project?"

"So, that would be a no?"

"Yes," Annabelle Lee said flatly. "With…all due respect, I don't want to better myself. I don't want a second chance at life. I want out. And…if I have to become a monster to do it, fine. This is the only chance I got, and I'm taking it, conscience be damned. Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear."

The Madam inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. "I see," she said, sounding disappointed but not especially surprised. "Very well then. But when you lie broken, abandoned, and betrayed, please remember that I gave you a chance, and that you turned it down."

Annabelle Lee's head jerked back. "I…"

The Madam turned in her seat and raised her voice. "All right girls, you may reenter."

The door opened, and Annabelle Lee's companions reentered. Judging by the looks of confusion on Nie and Arzt's faces, they hadn't been able to overhear the conversation that had just taken place, though no doubt it wasn't for a lack of trying. But they did notice how forlorn Annabelle Lee looked and exchanged concerned glances. They didn't say anything though, which was a mercy.

Unfortunately, Ticky Nikki was not so prudent. She took one look at Annabelle Lee and whirled around to glower at the Madam. "What'cha do to Annabelly?" she demanded.

"I talked to her," came the calm response.

"She looks sad."

The Madam didn't bother explaining. "Sit down, please."

Nikki looked like she wanted to protest further, but Annabelle Lee was in no mood to tolerate further foolishness. "Nikki," she said. "Sit down."

Nikki sat, though she kept sending suspicious glares at their host.

Once everyone had been seated, the Madam cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "My apologies for the delay," she said. "But now we can get back to business." She took one last sip of tea and set her teacup aside. "Now, here is the situation: I fortunately know where your quarry is, and I know where they will be, and I know what they will be doing." Her green eyes slowly swept the room, focusing on each face in turn. "Now, here is how you will retrieve them."

…

Mami and Charlotte had outdone themselves. The Silver Palace resort was a wonder to behold. Taking up an entire rotating platform, the hotel itself was an architectural marvel, one that flowed and twisted up in a slow spiral, seemingly in defiance to the laws of physics. Surrounding it was an array of entertainments for the wealthy vacationers that came to visit: a medieval town-themed shopping center, a miniature golf course that paid as little heed to gravity as the hotel did, and an extraterrestrial petting zoo. Charlotte and Oktavia had unanimously voted Mami to be in charge of keeping track of Kyoko, something she felt was just unfair. The excitable redhead ended up disappearing twice before they had even unpacked and three times more over the next five hours.

Oktavia found it hard to blame her. Had she not been wheelchair-bound, she would have probably joined her. Fortunately, the resort had something for her to enjoy as well: specifically, a triple-layered swimming pool, one connected by waterslides, funky underwater tunnels, and some kind of weird spinning wheel thing. The lowest pool was shallow and had a sort of pirate fortress play area intended for children (actual children, though those of an adult mind were known to indulge in their inner [and outer] child), while the top pool was considerably deeper than pools usually were, and had something of a sunken ship-themed maze at the bottom. Snorkeling equipment was available at poolside for those not blessed with Oktavia's gifts.

She had to admit, she did have fun exploring the maze, slipping on her belly down the slides, and even playing with the kids at the bottom. And she definitely enjoyed the attention she received by those thrilled to have a real mermaid in their midst. But while swimming in the pool was fun, it wasn't quite the lengthy diversion she had hoped it would be, and rather than occupying her for the rest of the day it only really amused her for about an hour and a half before her mood soured. In time, she was back in her wheelchair at poolside, staring out at the happy tourists frolicking in the water and the miniature rainforest that surrounded the concrete area. She wished she could enjoy herself more. Mami and Charlotte had spent a lot of money for their rooms, and no doubt they had hoped that the luxury accommodations would help soothe the sting at being left behind. She appreciated the effort, but having fun was kind of hard when the knowledge that they would be leaving her soon, perhaps for good, loomed over her thoughts. She had been in the afterlife for little over a week and had one friend taken away already. Now, it looked like she was going to lose the other three. Charlotte had been very blunt when she had described the dangers that the trio had to face before they made it to the Withering Lands, to say nothing of actually entering the country and abducting a high-ranking official. To hear her tell it, their chances of success were preceded by a period and a whole lot of zeros.

Pessimistic thinking of course, but Oktavia would feel a whole lot better if she could just come along. Even if it was a fool's errand, at least if they fell she would fall with them. To her, that was considerably easier to stomach than sitting in dull safety, driving herself mad with worry.

Scowling, she looked down at her tail. Water droplets had condensed on the multicolored scales, glistening in the sunlight. Until now, she hadn't been at all bothered by the handicaps it caused. After all, she had fully expected to spend the rest of the foreseeable future at the Nautilus Platform, working the kelp fields and playing around the docks. But now it was keeping her from sticking with the loving couple that had all but adopted her since she had flopped her way up to their front door. And it was keeping her from Kyoko.

Sighing, she pulled out her harmonica from its little side pouch that dangled off an armrest and slowly began to play. Instead of blowing out the notes of her "theme song," which she had dubbed the melody that played in a continuous loop inside her head, she tried to see if she could come up with a new melody. If proficiency in music was among her witch abilities, than she wanted to see how far it would go.

After a few awkward false starts, she finally found a groove she could work with and settled in. The groove soon became a melody, and Oktavia was able to relax enough to lose herself in playing. That was the great thing about music. It was there when she needed it, and always managed to make her feel better. Just in playing she felt some of the tension ebb out of her shoulders and take the edge of off her frustration and worry.

As with the piano, Oktavia eventually lost track of time, but was soon jolted back to reality when someone snuck up behind her and clapped their hands over her eyes.

"Surprise!" Kyoko gibed. "Guess who?"

Sighing, Oktavia put the harmonica down and said, "Where have you been?"

"Around. Mami said if I was going to keep running off, she might as well take me on a guided tour. Works for me, as that means she buys the snacks!" Kyoko removed her hands and pulled over a white plastic chair so she could sit next to Oktavia. She was holding a couple of sugary looking ice snacks that twisted around wooden sticks. The top of the red one had already been sucked away. "Want one?" she said, offering the blue one to Oktavia.

"Thanks," Oktavia said, accepting the treat. She bit down on the tip.

The flavor was blue raspberry, but she barely had time to notice before her tongue was flooded with some kind of viscous substance that fizzled and crackled madly. "Blegh!" she yelped as her mouth started overflowing with pale blue foam.

Kyoko cackled unsympathetically at her surprise. "Sorry, shoulda warned you about that," she said, though she sounded anything but. To her favor, she did moisten a handful of napkins with a water bottle and hand them to Oktavia. "The core's filled with the stuff. You gotta suck it slow, or it's like you inhaled a handful of Pop Rocks."

"Now she tells me," Oktavia muttered as she cleaned herself up. "Jerk." Once she had gotten rid of the foam and wiped the stickiness away, she tried again, with slow licks this time. The flavor was much easier to appreciate this time. Even the fizziness was enjoyable, when taken in small doses.

"So," Kyoko said as she wore her own ice down. "Here we are, on the edge of the single most kickass swimming pool in the history of history, and I find you out of the water, in your chair, and moping." She gave Oktavia a discerning look out of the corner of her eye. "Something up?"

Oktavia flinched. "Er, well, not really."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious! I'm fine."

"Uh…huh."

"Really!" Oktavia insisted. "The water…just doesn't feel right. That's all."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't…feel right?"

"Yeah. The…uh, chlorine. It's hard on the gills."

Kyoko nodded. "Right. The chlorine. That they use to purify the water. Despite the fact that they literally have a magic water filter. One that doesn't need chemicals. Yeah, that chlorine."

"Oh," Oktavia said, feeling a little abashed. Though, in fairness, her lie had been pretty transparent to begin with. "Do they?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Told'ya already. Mami gave me the tour and told me how they keep this place going. Water filtering was on the list."

Crap. "Well, maybe it's not chlorine," Oktavia said hastily. "I dunno. Maybe I'm just used to salt water."

"Uh-huh. Which is why you spent the whole trip here in an extremely well-filtered fishbowl."

Sighing, Oktavia slumped back into her seat. "All right. I'm moping. You happy?"

"Hhhhrrrmmm," Kyoko muttered as she continued to wear her fizz pop down. "Well, I'd say that isn't like you, but seeing how I've seen you like this before and that instance turned out kinda horribly for everyone, I'd say no, this don't make me happy. Not at all."

"What?" Oktavia stared blankly at her, wondering what she was talking about. In her memory, Kyoko was usually the one doing the moping, with Oktavia's bad mood being a fairly recent development.

And then she got it. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Oktavia groaned. She slumped back and rolled her eyes. "Give me a break, Kyoko. That wasn't me, and you know it."

"Kinda was. Mami explained it to me. Same soul, just with a memory wipe and some housecleaning."

If it was Kyoko's intention to snap Oktavia out of her funk, she was failing miserably. "Okay, fine," Oktavia snapped. "But hey, in case you already noticed, I'm already a witch. And I've done a little more research into how things work than you, thank you very much. It takes a whole lot more than a lousy mood to turn me back into a monster." Purely out of spite, she chomped away a good third of her fizz pop and immediately regretted it when the inside of her mouth turned into a fruit-flavored washing machine. She swallowed the mess whole, winced as it burned all the way down, and moments later was assailed by nasty spikes of pain shooting through her skull.

"Ah, ah, ah," she groaned. Stupid lifelike imitation. She didn't even have a brain to send chilled blood up to, or blood to chill for that matter.

"Okay, fair enough," Kyoko said, pretending not to notice Oktavia's discomfort though a small smirk was bleeding through. "But seriously, what's eating you?"

The pain was ebbing away, though she was still wincing a little. Still, she had recovered enough to say, "Duh. You guys are leaving soon. Duh. I don't like getting left behind. Duh. You knew this already, so now you're just being obstinate." She waited for the brain freeze to fade away completely before finishing with, "Duh."

There was a short pause, and then Kyoko sighed. "Yeah, okay," she said, lowering her fizz pop and hunching over her knees. "I get you. I'd be pissed too. But you know-"

"I do," Oktavia sighed. "Wouldn't work, just be a burden, too dangerous, I get it. I just don't like it." She shrugged. "Besides, the mountains are no place for a mermaid."

"Uh-huh," Kyoko monotone. "Guess you weren't paying attention when Charlotte gave us the cliffnotes on what we're going to hit along the way, which by the way include a huge freaking mountain."

"Oh, come on! Like you were?"

"I was, actually." Kyoko took a long suck from her pop. "Didn't have my little breakdown until after she was done. And I do remember there being big-ass mountain. One that's kind of cold. As if in it's a great big pile of Ice Age that only has two seasons: Blizzard Season and Holy Shit the Fucking Air is Frozen Season."

"Oh," Oktavia said. She couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

"Plus, there's all the other stuff we gotta march through. You know, like open fields, rocky hills, some seriously weird forests, and maybe a desert or two. I don't think mermaids do well in deserts either. Do you?"

Oktavia hissed. "I said I get it already, I just don't like it! Stop being a jerk already."

Kyoko's face softened a bit, and something that wasn't exactly shame but still somewhat resembled it passed over her features. "Yeah, sorry," she said. "Hard to turn it off sometimes." Then she brightened a little. "But hey, it ain't so bad! Mami says that friend of hers lives real close to a big-ass lake. So it's not like you'll be all fish on dry land all the time."

"Oh, goody," Oktavia said dryly. "A lake. A freestanding body of water with a bunch of stuff flowing in, very little going out. I can't wait to see all the algae and fish poop I'll be breathing."

Kyoko snorted. "Right. 'Cause the ocean totally didn't have any of that. Whale sperm, Fishy Lips. Alien whale sperm."

Oktavia had to snicker at that. "Okay, point taken." Then she sobered up again. "Still, really not looking forward to it. I mean, I know it hasn't been that long, but you guys are the only family I've got, you know."

"Damn it," Kyoko growled. "Had to put it that way." She sighed again and leaned back. "Look, it's not like it's forever. As soon as we're done sneaking into Mordor-"

"Wait, where?" Oktavia stared blankly at her. "I thought you were going to the-" Catching herself in time, she glanced to the swimmers playing in the water and lowered her voice. "-you know, that place. What the heck is Mordor?"

Kyoko didn't answer immediately. She just sat in place, staring forward without focusing on anything in particular. Then, moving with deliberate precision, she slowly sat up straight and turned her head to gape in open disbelief at Oktavia. "You," she said slowly. "Have got. To be fudging kidding me."

"What?" Oktavia blinked at her. "So I don't know what Mordor is. I was kinda blanked out when Charlotte was giving her lecture, I missed it."

"Oh my God," Kyoko said as she slowly shook her head. "Mordor. Lord of the Rings. You seriously don't-" Then she frowned. "Oh, yeah. Memory wipe. Sorry, it gets hard to keep track of."

Actually, that name did ring something of a bell. "Wait, isn't that some kind of movie?"

Now it was Kyoko's turn to blink in surprise. "Wait, you really remember it? Or you just heard about it after?"

"Remember," Oktavia said. "Sort of. This memory thing is kind of weird." She pointed a finger at her head. "See, I still got the general knowledge. I remember the names of a lot of cities, a fair bit of geography, a handful of politicians, a few things from the news, a…surprising number of softball teams, even a few pop idols. I remember the menu at McDonalds, how to make an omelet, and what I think is Mi…Miti…" She frowned, trying to form the word in her head. "Mitakihara," she said at last. "Mitakihara's bus routes."

Kyoko actually looked a little impressed. "Wow, I thought you were all blank."

"No," Oktavia shook her head. "It's just the personal stuff that's gone. I don't remember my parents' names or what they looked like, or even if I had either of them. I don't remember my friends, my teacher's name, what books I've read, what hobbies I had, what music I listened to, and I'm having to rediscover what food I like all over again. There's a couple of stray fragments, but I don't have any context." She shrugged helplessly. "So yeah, I know that there was a movie called Lord of the Rings-"

"Three of them, actually. And they were books first. My mom really liked them."

Oktavia nodded. "Okay. But I don't know if I saw them or not. Sorry."

"S'kay," Kyoko grunted. She finished off her fizz pop and tossed the stick into a nearby trash can. "You probably did though. It was your kind of story." Then she blinked, as if something had just occurred to her. Then her face darkened. "And yet you still don't remember freaking Disney. Sayaka, I like you, but there are some major problems with your childhood that need to be addressed."

Oktavia winced at that. "Uh, maybe. But hey, look, I really don't want to this to be a thing, but about calling me Sayaka and all…"

The scowl on Kyoko's face was replaced by a look of sudden fear. "Oh shit," she said, her head jerking back. "Damn, it I forgot. Sorry, I-"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Oktavia was quick to say. "Don't frig out, I'm not mad. Just remember that it kind of bothers me, okay?"

Kyoko didn't say anything, though her face still looked troubled. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, and Oktavia's black mood grew deeper. She hadn't meant to shoot Kyoko down like that, but getting called by the name of a dead girl really bothered her.

Finally Oktavia couldn't take the silence any longer. "So…" she said, her voice sounding a bit too loud in her ears. "You were saying?"

Kyoko looked surprised that she had spoken. "Huh?"

Gesturing with one hand, Oktavia said, "You were saying something about Mordor, then we got tangented."

There was a short pause, and then Kyoko said, "Oh yeah. Forgot all about that. Huh." Then she shrugged and said, "But anyway, look. I know you're not happy about getting stuck up in a mountain cabin, but it ain't like it's gonna be forever. As soon as we're done storming the castle, we'll come back and get you."

"If you come back," Oktavia said morosely.

Another pause followed. Then Kyoko's hand snapped out, grabbed the very surprised mermaid by the jaw, and wrenched her head around so that she was staring a pair of very angry scarlet eyes.

"Listen," Kyoko hissed. "Don't you ever fucking say that again. There is no 'if.' We are doing this thing. We are going to that place, and we are taking Momo out of that slimy bastard's paws and pulling Elsa Maria out of whatever pit he's dropped her in. And then we are coming back for you. We are all gonna be together at the end of this, and it sure as hell won't be in some tiny cell. Not the rat's or the Alliance's. You got that?"

"Ohgey, ohgey!" Oktavia cried through squeezed cheeks. Despite Kyoko's slight frame, there was steel in those fingers. Oktavia grabbed Kyoko's slender wrist and wrenched her face free. "I get it! Calm down!"

Kyoko removed her hand, but didn't so much as avert her eyes. "I mean it. This is going to happen. Don't even think otherwise."

"Got it! Message received, all doubt erased, will never question you again!" Oktavia rubbed her jaw. Damn, that girl had a strong grip. "And by the way, ow!"

Kyoko didn't look away, and her gaze didn't lose any of its intensity. There was some kind of whirlwind of emotions raging under her skin, that much was obvious. Her hands were balled up into tight fists, her jaw was clenched tight, and the veins were standing out from her neck. But more noticeable were her eyes. There was something stirring in those scarlet irises that wasn't exactly madness, but was definitely related to it. And not exactly distantly.

Oktavia blinked, the discomfort in her jaw forgotten. Holy wow, she had triggered something big. Simply suggesting the possibility that Kyoko might fail, that there was a chance that she would not be able to whisk her sister safely away from Oblivion's clutches had set off some kind of primeval reaction, one that was hairsbreadth away from turning violent.

Hooo boy, this couldn't be good. Oktavia was aware that she really hadn't known Kyoko much more than a handful of days, and the redhead had spent most of their relationship unconscious. Still, given how…colorful Kyoko's personality tended to be, and how she wasn't at all shy about expressing it, Oktavia had thought she had a fair measure for the kind of person she was. She knew that Kyoko was a survivor, one that ran anger and willing to return any blow she took sevenfold. She rolled with the punches, took life's best attempts to knock her down, and kept right on going. That didn't really make her the easiest person to get along with, sure, but she did have her softer side, even if one had to dig real deep to find it. And while earning her favor took some doing, once you had it, she would fight to the death to protect you, Oktavia's own case being a literal example.

But Oktavia was only now understanding why Kyoko was such a fierce fighter, why she was able to endure trials that would have broken most people. And that was because she believed. What she believed was irrelevant, it only mattered that she believed in it with every fiber of her being. If one belief was knocked down, she would remold herself after a new belief and throw herself into that one with just as much fervor, even if it directly contradicted its predecessor. When her family had died, she had lost her faith in God, the goodwill of mankind, altruism, and heroism only to replace it with self-centeredness, selfishness, nihilism, and social Darwinism. And when she had realized how thoroughly she had been played, she chose a course and followed it like a seeker missile, even though it meant willingly going to her death.

Right now, a great many of Kyoko's beliefs were being challenged, and she was making the necessary adjustments. A lot of what the afterlife was had troubled her, maybe even scared her, but she was adapting, rough as the transition might be. And her sister's presence, far away as it was, was now acting as the focal point of her new belief. She didn't just want to get Momo back, she wasn't just going to fight to get Momo back, she was going to get Momo back. As far as she was concerned, it was a done deal; she just needed to go and do it.

Of course, the reality of the situation wasn't quite so concrete. The dangers they would face meant that just getting to the border of the Withering Lands was one hell of a longshot, to say nothing of what had to be done once they got there. Chances were that Kyoko, Mami, and Charlotte's fates were not going to be agreeable. If the elements didn't get them, than Oblivion most certainly would.

But Kyoko wasn't even going to consider that. Oh sure, she was aware of the obstacles. She knew how dangerous the trip was going to be and what they had to overcome to accomplish their goal. But to her, failure not only was not an option, it wasn't even a possibility. They were going to succeed, because she needed them to.

As such, when Oktavia had ventured the opinion that overwhelming victory might not be quite as set in stone as Kyoko had forced herself to believe, she had reacted…poorly. Maybe it was because that belief was still establishing itself and the foundation was still a little wobbly, but either way, Oktavia had learned enough to know that, all previously encountered emotional problems aside, Kyoko was not exactly stable. Sure, maybe becoming a bit of a basket case was a common thing, but it was probably different for everyone.

And Oktavia had just stumbled upon Kyoko's unique brand of crazy. She was going to have to tread with caution.

Kyoko kept staring at her longer than was comfortable, but when Oktavia didn't rise up to challenge her again, the anger seemed to leave her, like air leaving a punctured balloon. The muscles in her face relaxed, her fingers slowly spread out, and the fire in her eyes died away. With a loud sigh, she closed her eyes and sank back into her chair.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

Swallowing, Oktavia nodded and said, "It's okay. Just so long as you remember that we're on the same side here."

"Yeah. Probably just need a nap or something. Haven't really slept since Annabelle Lee put me down for a week." She laughed. "But damn, death is way too much like life sometimes."

"That's probably it," Oktavia agreed. "And yes, it is."

They sat in silence for a time. Kyoko stared broodily out over the water, and Oktavia, realizing that her fingers were getting sticky with melted fizz pop, decided to work on finishing the darned thing. Her lack of mobility meant that getting over to a trash can was more trouble than it was worth, and disposing it unfinished in Kyoko's presence was probably tantamount to suicide.

She was nearly done when Kyoko cleared her throat. "Shame about the Nautilus Platform though," she said, not taking her eyes away from the surface of the pool.

Her tongue still crackling with that fizzy stuff, Oktavia glanced her and said, "Fwhah?"

"Nautilus Platform," Kyoko grunted. "Shame we won't be able to go back to it. Mami had a real sweet setup. It'd be nice to take Momo there. She always liked the ocean, even if we never actually got to go there. Had a whole bunch of picture books about baby whales and mermaids and shit." She glanced over to Oktavia. "Come to think of it, she'll probably fangirl all over you. Fair warning."

"Duly noted," Oktavia said, scraping her tongue clean on her teeth. "I think I'll cope. And yeah, the Platform was pretty cool." Her voice turned wistful. "In fact, it was kind of perfect. Wish I got the chance to go harvesting with them at least. That could've been fun."

"Fun, heh. Try smelly." Kyoko gave her a sidelong look, her lips curling into a very familiar smirk. "Though wouldn't that be a little weird, having you along? I mean, them being called mermaid eggs and all. Be a little like cannibalism." She cleared her throat and adopted a horrible American accent. "Yup, dem babies be ready fer harvesting. Go get the tractor, Bubba!"

"Oh God!" Sayaka covered her face with her hands. "Do they even have a word for what's wrong with you?"

"Plenty, but they're all too long and I can't pronounce them," Kyoko said as she laced her fingers behind her head. "And even if you did get to go out with them, what exactly will you be doing? Sitting on the boat and shouting words of encouragement?"

Oktavia stared at her in disbelief, wondering when exactly Kyoko had become so dumb. But to her credit, as soon as the jab had left her lips Kyoko looked like she realized how stupid she was being, but it was too late to take it back. She winced as Oktavia started laughing.

"Seriously?" Oktavia gibed. "Um, Kyoko, you do realize that the kelp are underwater, right? And that I have a fish's tail, right? I think I'll be able to move around without help."

"Okay, okay," Kyoko groused as she slapped a hand across her forehead. "So it was a dumb question. I wasn't thinking. Sorry."

"I guess not. I mean, I know you like to make fun of people, but come on!"

"Hey, I was just dead and unconscious at the same time! Cut me some slack, all right?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Oktavia said as she slurped the last bit of fizz pop away. "I've been putting up with you pushing me around since we woke up, so revenge is mine!"

"Get a life. Seriously." Again, Kyoko realized too late the full meaning of her words, and groaned as her cheeks flushed scarlet.

Fortunately, Oktavia didn't take offense beyond reaching over and flicking Kyoko's cheek. "Oh, come on! That was just cold."

"Sorry, sorry," Kyoko muttered as she slapped the mermaid's hand away. "It's reflexive!"

"Well, keep that up and you'll be dead to me."

A moment passed. Then Kyoko slowly turned her head to glower at the smirking mermaid. "Really, Shark Bait? Really?"

"Hey, it's not my fault your manners are dead and buried. I'd suggest you start taking some lessons on tact, but I think it's too late for that."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Well, I was going to, but my chance passed away."

"Huh, I guess that put the final nail in the coffin of you ever being a considerate person. No wonder you always wind up in grave peril, what with you letting loose with that killer mouth of yours."

"Ha! Like any of them have a ghost of a chance at ending me! Every time they try, I just pound their faces until the danger has deceased to be!"

"Okay, that last one was just forced," Sayaka said. "I think we should just kill the whole thing and scatter the ashes."

They shared a laugh at that, and Oktavia felt some of her tension ease away. Okay, so maybe they had both gotten majorly screwed over and had a psychiatrist's Christmas list of issues to show for it. Maybe the future looked bleak. Maybe this was one of the last times they would be able to spend together. But at least they were still friends. It wasn't much, but it counted for something.

Oktavia finally slurped up the last bit of raspberry-flavored slush and whatever that fizzy stuff was and looked around for some way to dispose of the stick.

"Here, gimme that," Kyoko said, extending her hand. Oktavia gave her the stick, and she immediately tossed it over her shoulder. It swished perfectly into the same trash can she had thrown her own discarded stick into.

"Nice," Oktavia said appreciatively. Then she frowned. "Hold up, didn't you say something about being a terrible shot?"

"With a gun, yeah," Kyoko said, handing her a fresh wad of damp napkins. "But tossing sticks is kind of my thing. Though they're usually pointier."

"Fair enough." Oktavia cleaned herself up. Then she picked up her harmonica again and started playing.

Kyoko sat quietly for a time, listening to her play. Then she said, "Hey, didn't you say that thing's supposed to be water proof?"

"Mmmm-hmmm," Oktavia said, lowering the instrument. "Charlotte got so many proofings that it's practically indestructible. Why, are you-" Then her brain caught up. "Oh, don't you dare-"

Too late. Kyoko had stuck a spear pole through the spokes of the wheelchair and yanked up, tilting the whole thing forward and dumping Oktavia back into the pool.

…

"We're still being held up at Orya's Furnace," Shizuku said from the hotel phone. "Some kind of transit strike, very irritating. But it seems to be winding down, so we should be arriving within two days' time."

"I understand," Mami said, though the delay still put her on edge. While she knew that it didn't really matter, as the proceedings with the Senate would likely take longer than that, it didn't serve as a good omen. "Try not to hurt anyone."

"I will make every effort. But beyond that, no promises." Then Shizuku's voice turned wry. "But tell me, how are things on your end? Are your new young wards enjoying their trip?"

Mami sighed in weariness. "I spent most of the last three hours chasing Kyoko around the resort. She's like a small child at Disneyland, only with superhuman agility."

"Mmmm, that sounds familiar. Didn't we have a similar problem with Charlotte?"

Mami had to smile at the memory. "A bit, but Kyoko's worse. At least Charlotte just stared at the animals at the petting zoo."

"Oh dear. I hope she didn't try to ride anything…dangerous."

"I managed to dissuade her." Mami coughed. "Erm, barely."

"After you found her halfway over the fence and had to yank her off, I suppose?"

Though she had repeatedly denied having any sort of psychic abilities, Mami and Charlotte were still convinced that their former mentor was secretly a powerful empath. Her knack of always "knowing" got a little creepy sometimes. "Just about," Mami sighed. "Fortunately security hadn't noticed and I managed to bribe her away with ice cream."

Shizuku tsked. "Yes, calming the hyperactive child with sugar. That makes all kinds of sense." Before Mami could respond, Shizuku was already moving on to the next topic. "And what of the other, whose company we soon shall be enjoying?"

"Oktavia? She's fine." Mami glanced out of the hotel room window at the pool. "Definitely easier to keep track of. Charlotte took her to the pool, and Kyoko wanted to join them, so they're Charlotte's problem now."

"Ah, avoiding unpleasant tasks through delegation of responsibility then! Well done!" Shizuku said approvingly. Then her playful tone dried up. "And now that we've done our song and dance, perhaps it's time we turn to the real subject we should be discussing?"

Mami swallowed. She had been dreading this. "Shizuku, I-"

"Now Mami, you know I think highly of your intelligence. Which, I might add, is a rare thing."

"I know," Mami said. "But you see-"

"I also know you to be a woman of great moral character. As such, I put great value of your abilities as a decision maker. Which, I once again make point of, is not praise I give out lightly."

Mami had to give her credit, few people could smother on the guilt like Shizuku could. "Shizuku, believe me when I say-"

"Unfortunately, while your kindness is undoubtedly a virtue, you can be compassionate to a fault, and if you'll excuse my bluntness, you are also burdened with a heavy guilt complex, one that has been known to cloud your judgment in certain matters, especially in regards to those who were close to you pre-mortem."

Mami closed her eyes and bowed her head. This time, she didn't have a reply.

"And if I'm not mistaken, both of your new wards fall into that category. And the one that we have not been asked to look after might very well be the one whose past relationship with you weighs the heaviest on your shoulders. Now, with all that in mind, and given that Reibey himself is openly interested in this girl for reasons that you have chosen to withhold from me, I cannot help but feel somewhat concerned that you have gotten yourself tangled up in something that, while no doubt well-intentioned, may not be…advisable."

Taking a deep breath, Mami said as calmly as she could, "Shizuku, if I could tell you, I would. But please believe that-"

"Yes?" Shizuku interrupted. "Believe that by not disclosing specific information, you are protecting us from whatever fallout your actions might incur? Plausible deniability? A touching sentiment on your part, though I should point out that, unless you've had a bag over her head this whole time, Oktavia is most likely aware of your full plans, and will be the first person to be sought once your…endeavors…start to have…consequences. And even if they did believe us to be innocent of your designs, I highly doubt they will be at all amused by our participation."

Oops. Mami's cheeks turned red. She hadn't even thought of that, and she felt stupid for not doing so. But of course Oktavia would be taken in at the first sign of trouble. And of course Shizuku and the others would be affected as well. Good God, what had she been thinking? Shizuku was right. This whole thing with Kyoko was keeping her from thinking clearly.

If only Oktavia hadn't arrived as a mermaid, then she could come with…No. That wasn't preferable, as she would just end up suffering the same fate that was in store for them. But it wasn't like things would go well for her once the Alliance figured out what they were up to. Mami had to face it: they had all been doomed once Reibey had announced that he had Momo Sakura in his possession. There was no force in existence that would prevent Kyoko from going after her, and despite all the harm it would cause, Mami was unable to say that she was in the wrong. Even Charlotte had agreed with her.

Per usual, Charlotte was right. The only way this whole ordeal was to end on any sort of optimistic note was if Momo had fallen into the Alliance's care from the beginning. But she hadn't, and now everything was falling apart. And once again, Mami had tried to do the right thing, tried to make amends for past sins, but now she was just hurting those she cared about.

With a heavy sigh that sounded a lot like a whimper, she slowly sat down on the hotel bed and put her head in her free hand. This really never ended with her. It seemed like the harder she tried, the more damage she did. And this time, she was going to drag the whole Alliance, and entire society filled with innocent people all blissfully aware that their quiet, stable lives were about to get thrown into chaos, down with her. But what was she supposed to do? Just let Kyoko go on by herself to certain doom? She wouldn't last the first three kilometers.

Maybe she should have, though just thinking that made her hate herself.

"What am I supposed to do?" she whispered. It had intended to be a small, private expression of her inner turmoil, or perhaps a plea to the powers that be, but in the course of raking herself over the coals, she had forgotten that she was holding a phone to her ear.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that for you," Shizuku said. "I only wish that you would trust us enough to allow us to help."

Mami swallowed back a sob.

"Mami. Please listen to me. We are not children. What is more, we are no strangers to incredible danger. We faced the same perils that you did in life, and though I am loath to point this out, we were able to uncover the Incubators' designs long before our deaths and actively worked against them until then. We are veteran warriors, Mami, not naïve civilians to be coddled." And, just when Mami was certain that dagger being shoved through her gut could not burrow any deeper, Shizuku gave it another twist. "Furthermore, we are your friends, Mami. We care about you. I care about you. I don't know exactly what you have entangled yourself in, but I do know that I want to help."

"I…" Sniffing, Mami wiped the wetness from her eyes. "I can't. I can't ruin it for you guys. This…this isn't your problem, and things are going so well for you, with the house and the new company and…"

"Oh, posh. As if any of that matters," Shizuku said scornfully. "Send the company under, burn the house, take away every centitalent,and drop me in the middle of the most backwater place you can think of. Three years in, I will own the whole of it and have converted it to a first world civilization. You, however, are not quite so replaceable."

Mami wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry, but her throat was now too swollen to allow either. God, she was a terrible friend. Why had she involved them in this? And why did she think they would simply do as she asked without voicing the slightest bit of concern? Shizuku was involved, after all. It was miracle she didn't know the full details already.

Maybe…and Mami hated herself even more for considering this, but maybe she should say yes. Seven Puella Magi (well, six and one witch) would stand a much better chance of success than three (well, two and one witch). And Shizuku could scheme her way out of dockengaut swarm. If anyone could plan a way to whisk Momo's sister away with no one being the wiser, it was her.

But at what cost? Even with the extra help, their chances were still next to zero. They were good, but the forces that stood against them were staggering. By saying yes, all Mami would be doing was ensuring that she had more company when they were dragged into Hell, whatever shape it might take.

Then, as she wrestled with her decision, the matter was at least postponed for her. Through the window, she heard the meaty impact of something metal hitting something made of flesh. This was followed by a very familiar cry of surprise, and then capped off by a loud crash. There was a short silence, and then the commotion began.

Mami rushed over to the window and looked out. She stared for a moment, seeing the basics of what had happened and who had been involved, but was unable to comprehend it. One thing was for certain though: she was needed down there immediately.

She snatched up the phone, said, "Something's happened. I'll call you back," and quickly hung up. Then she was rushing out the door and making her way down to the pool area as fast as her feet would allow.

…

Ten minutes. That's all Charlotte had asked for. Just ten minutes to use the restroom and find some lunch for her and Oktavia. But she hadn't even reached the front of the line at the snack bar when the sounds of violence and disruption filled the pool area.

As soon as she had heard the yelling, Charlotte knew that Kyoko was involved. She didn't have to see for herself, she didn't have to ask what had happened, she didn't even have to turn around. She just knew. Damn it all to Hell, they hadn't even left yet, and that girl was already well on her way to getting herself arrested.

As the people around her rushed away to see what all the fuss was about, she considered just staying where she was. The line was now severely reduced, after all. Just get the food and let Mami deal with it.

Charlotte fidgeted, standing first on one foot and then the other. Her tail curled around her leg and constricted tightly. Her fingers balled up and unclenched several times in succession.

Then, with an irritated growl, she abandoned the line and stomped over to the pool. Oh, hell with it. Maybe Kyoko had pissed off something that was three times her size, and Charlotte would get to watch.

As she drew closer to the pool, it became evident that her disgruntled wish might actually have merit. As predicted, Kyoko was involved. Two of the hotel staff were helping her disentangle herself from a wrecked cocktail booth. Judging by the smashed glass in her hair, the alcohol soaking her clothes, the way she was clutching her stomach in pain, and the dazed look on her face, she had not gotten the better of…whatever the hell had just happened. Charlotte smirked. Good.

The rest of the scene wasn't making much sense though. Oktavia, once again soaking wet and clutching tightly to her harmonica, was being helped into her wheelchair. Her mouth was hanging open, and her face was pale with shock. Charlotte glanced at her, then to Kyoko, and did a few quick calculations in her head. From the look of thing, the person that had launched Kyoko into that booth had been Oktavia herself. But that didn't make any sense. Oktavia was tough, sure, but nowhere near strong enough to pull of something like that.

Maybe it had something to do with the large, metal spoked wheel lying on the ground between the two girls, completely unconcerned by the confusion it was causing by its mere presence. Okay…that was…that was a new one. Oktavia had no idea what to make of that, and judging by the reactions of everyone surrounding it, neither did they.

Blinking, Charlotte blew out a slow breath and walked over to Oktavia. "Okay," she said to the bewildered mermaid. "What happened?"

A few squeaks came out of Oktavia's throat, and she managed, "I…I have no idea."

Charlotte gave her a look.

"Well, I don't!" Oktavia protested, sounding somewhat defensive. "She dumped me into the water to be mean, and I got mad and wanted to hit her! But she was too far away, so…" Her voice trailed off, and she gawked at the wheel, which was still lying still, oblivious or simply uncaring of the stir it was creating.

"So you chucked a giant wheel at her," Charlotte filled in for her.

"I…uh, maybe?"

"Where did you even find it?"

There was a lengthy pause, and then Oktavia deadpanned, "Tell you what: as soon as I figure that out, you'll be the first to know."

The crowd parted, and a freckled redheaded girl dressed in a staff uniform, likely a manager, rushed over to the still-recovering Kyoko. "Oh my God," she exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"Uh…" Kyoko said dazedly. One of the staff was trying to comb the shards of glass and other debris out of her hair, while another was trying to wipe the sticky mess from her face. "Y'shud see th'other guy."

"What other guy?" the manager said in confusion. "We have very strict rules about fighting! Who-"

It was then that she noticed the wheel, which now seemed downright smug in its absurdity. "Wait, wheel?" She looked around at the staring crowd. "Who made a wheel?"

For a moment, no one answered. Then one head slowly turned in the direction of the pool. This was followed by another, and then another, until everyone was silently staring at the wheelchair-bound mermaid. Charlotte grimaced. Oh, this wasn't going to go well for anyone.

Clearing her throat, the manager walked over to them, careful to give the obstinate wheel a wide berth. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said. "But are you responsible for this…" She glanced at the wheel, as if to confirm that it was still there. It was. "…incident?"

"Hey, I have no idea how that happened!" Oktavia protested. "I didn't even know I could do that. I still don't know how!"

The manager frowned. "You do realize that combative abilities are banned while on resort property, and violation of that policy means a four-hundred and fifty talent fine at the least? To say nothing of the damages."

"Come on, give her a break," Charlotte said. "She only spawned a few days ago, and had no idea what sort of witch abilities she has. It was instinct!"

"Uh-huh," the manager said flatly, in a tone that screamed I've-heard-that-before. "Well ladies, would you be so kind as to follow me, so we can discuss this in private?"

Charlotte grimaced. Damn Kyoko. They had just gotten here, and already she had gotten them thrown out of their hotel. If this was to be indicative of the sort of things that were to follow her around, than they would have been better off just chucking her over the border at Reibey when he had shown up the other day.

Then there was the sound of shoes clopping against wet concrete, and Mami pushed her way into the scene. "Is everyone all right?" she said breathlessly. Her face was flushed, as if she had ran all the way down from their room to get there. Which, Charlotte surmised, she had probably done.

The manager took note of her and frowned. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said icily. "Are these women with you?"

Mami stared at her, as if wondering why this strange person was speaking to her. "Yes!" she said. "They're my wife and friends! What happened?"

"Still trying to figure that out," Charlotte said. "But three guesses as to who started it, first two don't count."

"It's not my fault!" Oktavia put in. "Kyoko thought it'd be funny to shove me in the water, and when I tried to slug her, a wheel came out of nowhere and smacked her in the stomach!" She punched her own palm by way of demonstration.

"Oh. I see." Wincing, Mami turned to the fuming manager. "Ma'am, I'm really sorry about this. She and Kyoko over there-" she nodded to the still-reviving redhead, who was repeatedly squinting and widening her eyes in hopes of clearing her vision, "-only arrived here in the afterlife a few days ago, and it seems that Oktavia here has some abilities that we simply haven't discovered yet. I'll be more than happy to pay for all damages, and I assure you this sort of thing will not happen again."

The manager frowned. From the look of things, she still wasn't buying it. "Be that as it may…" she said. "We take the safety of our guests very seriously, and are very strict when it comes to combative abilities. There are some hotels that require a fully verified list of all magical abilities before check-in, and I wouldn't be surprised if we started-"

"Hey!" said a loud, obnoxious voice. Charlotte felt her eye twitch. True to form, Kyoko had recovered her wits (such as they were) and was now going to make things worse. "The hell was that all about?" she demanded as she staggered unsteadily toward them, ignoring the pleas of the hotel staff trying to make her take things easy. "What'cha just hit me with…" Her eyes fell upon the wheel, which really seemed to Charlotte like it was laughing silently at them all. "Wait, why is there a train wheel? Did you hit me with a train wheel?"

Scowling, Oktavia said, "Well, if you weren't being such a jerk, I wouldn't have!"

"It was a joke! You were supposed to get mad and dump a water bottle on me later when I'm not expecting it! Not call down the spirit of Thomas the Tank Engine to strike me down!"

"I didn't know that was going to happen! I didn't even know I could do that!"

"Then how the hell did you-" Kyoko stopped talking, which would normally be a mercy, except that she started right back up again. "Oh hell, that's right. You can do that."

"Excuse me?" the manager said, sounding a little angry. "You knew she had the power to employ train wheels as ordnance and she didn't?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Well, yeah. She witched out in a train station, and threw a whole bunch a train wheels at me before we took each other out."

This was met with a low murmur of conversation from the crowd, along with some giggling. Charlotte sighed. No doubt they were thinking of an old superstition regarding a spiritual tether that was supposed to bind the souls of a Puella Magi and a witch that fell while fighting each other. Putting them out of her mind, she leaned over the handles of Oktavia's wheelchair and said, "And you didn't think to bring this up before now?"

"Hey, I've been kinda busy since then," Kyoko snapped at her. "Had a whole bunch of crap happen. It kinda slipped my mind, all right?"

"Okay, that's enough," said the manager. She put herself between Kyoko and the others and folded her arms. "There will be no more fighting on my pool deck. I'm going to have to ask you ladies to come with me so we can get this sorted out, and let the girls clean up here." She turned to Oktavia. "But first, please get rid of that wheel."

Oktavia frowned. "Uh, I don't even know how I made it in the first place. How am I supposed to get rid of it?"

"Just think at it and tell it to go away," Mami told her. "It should respond to your mental commands."

Oktavia perked up. "Really now?" She grinned. "Cool! All righty then…"

She leaned forward and focused her gaze on the wheel. Charlotte glanced around and saw that the crowd was leaning in as well. More than one of them was holding her breath in anticipation. Charlotte sighed. It was like a damned stage show.

Oktavia muttered something under her breath, probably a command for the wheel to exit the scene.

The wheel obeyed.

It shot straight into the air, narrowly missing a passing shuttle and kept right on going until Oktavia screamed, "STOP!" The crowd gasped.

The wheel stopped. The crowd held their breath.

"Come back!" she ordered, her face red. "And don't freaking hit anything on the way back!"

The crowd laughed, no doubt encouraged by the fact that Kyoko was now literally rolling on the floor and pounding her fist against the concrete with glee. Charlotte's eyes narrowed.

The wheel plummeted down, this time missing all obstacles with deliberation instead of luck. It swooped around and came to a sudden stop less than a meter from Oktavia's face. This prompted a whole new round of hysterics from Kyoko.

"Gah!" she said, jerking her head back. "Too close, too close!" The wheel retreated another meter and hovered there, waiting for further instruction. Eyeing it uncertainly, she whispered to Charlotte, "So, what do I do now?"

"Tell it to disappear," Charlotte said. "As if in, stop existing, not turn invisible or anything."

Oktavia nodded and did just that. If the wheel felt at all slighted by its impending non-existence, it kept it to itself and vanished.

With a relieved sigh, Oktavia slumped back into her seat while the crowd started applauding. Mami had her face buried in her hands while Charlotte was scowling at the still laughing Kyoko, visions of violent retribution dancing through her head.

"All right, all right!" the manager announced to those gathered. "Show's over! I'm going to need everyone to clear the scene so we can clean up." She pointed at the Nautilus girls. "You four, come with me."

She headed toward the hotel, and after an exchange of guilty looks, Mami, Charlotte, and Oktavia followed. As they passed Kyoko, Charlotte reached down and hauled her up by the hood.

"Get up," she hissed.

"Hey!" Kyoko said as she jerked away. "Hands off the-"

"Kyoko, shut up," Mami said, her voice cold. Apparently Kyoko knew well what that voice meant, as she blinked in surprise but obeyed. A small look of fear even passed through her eyes. Charlotte grunted. Well, at least they had that method of controlling her.

They entered the hotel lobby and followed the annoyed manager toward an office, passing four European businesswomen in matching olive suits who were checking in. One of them glanced at the girls as they passed and did a double-take, no doubt reacting to the oddity of seeing a mermaid in a wheelchair.

Yeah, yeah, Charlotte thought grumpily. We're in a flying city hobnobbing with aliens and a mermaid weirds you out. Get used to it already.

…

It took a great deal of self-control, but Annabelle Lee was able to keep from staring openly as Kyoko Sakura, Oktavia von Seckendorff, and that blonde that had tried to shoot her that one time literally walked right by them, not three meters away. There was some girl with pink hair that she didn't recognize, but given the company she kept, no doubt Annabelle Lee would soon hate her as well.

One of The Twins, Annabelle Lee couldn't really tell through her disguise, sidled up to her and mumbled, "That was them."

"Noticed," she hissed back. "Keep it cool."

A bloodthirsty grin passed over Ticky Nikki's face. "Sushi times be soon," she sang happily, which was just damned weird considering that she now looked like a seventeen-year-old Swedish girl in a smart suit. Annabelle Lee shot her a warning look before she forgot that they were supposed to be incognito.

"Ma'am?" said the receptionist, still wearing that welcoming smile and completely oblivious to the hate-fueled drama that was taking place before her eyes. "I need you to sign here, please."

Nodding, Annabelle Lee bent over the counter to do just that. A small smile tugged at her lips. Well, it looked like the Madam's information was right on the money. This was going to be easier than she thought.

…

Finally, we get some decent Oktavia action! Yeah, I know she hasn't done much the last few chapters. Her tail and amnesia have proven to be a greater obstacle than I had thought.

And yes, Artz is now Arzt. Either it had been mistranslated and only recently fixed, or I had read it wrong. I'll go back and fix the earlier chapters later.

And finally, yes: I am well aware of the suggestive nature of those fizz pops. No, it wasn't intentional, and I only noticed when the scene was almost over. But I kept them anyway because I have an immature sense of humor and it made me giggle.

Until next time, everyone!