An exasperated sigh left the lips of someone clearly displeased with their current situation. "Of all the places to get a quick bite… you just had to pick the one spot that everyone knows is crap, didn't you?"

"Sayaka!" Madoka turned from her meal to admonish the offender. "You could at least wait until we're finished! What if the employees heard you?"

She folded her arms with a 'hmph.' "So what if they did? They deserve to know they're working for a scummy brand that treats 'em like dirt."

I removed a hand from my burger to lift up an interjecting finger. "Actually, I'm pretty sure that most of them do. You can tell by the obviously fake smiles pasted over the dead-inside look in their eyes." I briefly turned to check out the guy working the register, and resisted the urge to cringe when I saw the very same expression I'd just described sitting on his face.

Yeesh. Note to self - avoid working in retail if possible. If unavoidable, apply for positions with as little customer interaction as possible.

I switched back to the group and shrugged. "But even if they know, they can't do anything about it. If they're working here, that means they've got nowhere else to go for a paycheck. They've either been rejected, laid off, or never got trained for a better job. So, they come here as a last resort." I set down my meal and laid back in my seat. "The business running the show knows that, which means that they can exploit their workers all they want so long as they don't draw too much attention. They'll cut as many corners as they can if they think they'll turn them a better profit, and make their employees' lives a living nightmare in the process."

I leaned forward, propping my head up with my elbows when I saw the lowered spirits of my companions. "I know this isn't an easy topic to stomach, but sadly, that's just how it is. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and everyone's always looking for the next chance to claw their way to their next big break, even if it's at the expense of someone else."

"Y'know, you're starting to sound an awful lot like that jerk who just tried to kill me." Sayaka narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me she turned you into a double agent?"

I rolled my eyes at the notion. "Would I have come back for you if I was?"

"I dunno…" she leered. "You could just be waiting for a better time to do the deed."

Madoka stopped her. "Sayaka, cut it out. You know Audrey wouldn't do that."

She held the stare for a few more moments regardless, then backed off with another sigh. "...yeah, I know. Sorry. It's just that…" She briefly paused, trying to find a way to explain it. "She didn't care if people had to die just so she could get what she wanted. She even knew how many that familiar needed to eat before it could turn into a witch! It's fine if the world's turned her into a cynic, but that complete disregard she had for all the innocent lives she's condemned just pisses me off so much!"

I let out a noncommittal noise. "Even so, I can't say that her methods don't work. I'm not ashamed to admit that she kicked my ass the first time we met, and from what I saw, it seems she did the same to you. If Homura hadn't been there, you likely would've died." My eyes wandered and caught a head of blonde hair that had been uncomfortably silent thus far, causing me to realize something I'd just implied. "Oh, uh, no offense, Mami."

"None taken," she replied with a subdued voice. "Besides, it's true. You saw how I hesitated before I was shaken into taking the shot." Her face fell. "I thought I was prepared to face her again, but when the time came, I… I couldn't pull the trigger."

Madoka piped up. "U-um… what do you mean by 'again?' Did you also meet her before?"

The blonde was silent, contemplating what she wanted to say in response, before she gathered up the courage to speak. "She… used to be my apprentice, once upon a time."

"Wait, really?!" Evidently, Sayaka was caught flat-footed by the reveal. "You're kidding me! She used to take orders from you?"

"She did," Mami confirmed. "We met a few years ago, back when she was still a relatively new Magical Girl. I came to her aid and helped her defeat a witch, and after the battle was over, she asked me to train her." A faint smile tinged with sadness appeared on her face. "Kyoko was my very first student, and a talented one at that. She took to her duties like a fish to water, and it was abundantly clear to me that she had great potential."

Her head finally lifted up, and the smile stretched just a little wider. "Believe it or not, she used to be able to conjure illusions of herself to assist her in battle. I remember spending hours trying to think up a good name for it, and eventually coming up with 'Rosso Phantasma.' She always protested calling out her techniques, saying it was incredibly mortifying, but... that one was an exception."

She trailed off, the smile disappearing and her vision dropping again. Remembering her letter, it was simple to connect the dots. "...it didn't last, did it?"

She shook her head. "No. After a while, her father caught her in the act. You see, he was a pastor, but was excommunicated for preaching beliefs that were contrary towards what the church's Bible taught. He continued to hold sermons, but nobody would ever come to hear them, and by extension, he received no pay, causing Kyoko's family to fall upon hard times." Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Kyoko wasn't very pleased about that, so she wished that people would start listening to her father. As you can imagine, it worked, and he suddenly found himself swarmed with believers. Everything seemed like it was going to be fine after that… but then her father found out."

Her mood continued to plummet. "When Kyoko explained what she'd done, he… he condemned her, and called her a witch. A demon. He was furious at the notion that all the people who came to his sermons were only there because of the wish his daughter made. He told her he could never accept a miracle that was brought about by the power of a devil." She briefly glanced at Kyubey, perched on Madoka's shoulder, before continuing. "Her father changed after that. He started drinking heavily, and became abusive towards the rest of his family. Things continued to spiral out of control from there, getting worse and worse before it all came to a head, and he snapped."

Her expression gained a haunted air. "When he decided he couldn't take it anymore, he… set fire to his house, and hung himself amidst the flames. Kyoko came home that day to a burning wreck, inside of which she found one last message of damnation from her father, laying the blame for his actions - including the death of her mother and younger sister - entirely upon her."

I took a moment to scan the reactions of the other two girls when Mami briefly stopped speaking. Predictably, they were horrified. I found myself muttering out a low "damn…" to keep up appearances.

"Kyoko was never the same," Mami continued. "The fire took not only her family and home, but also her innocence. She stopped using her illusions, claiming that she would rather rely solely on her raw abilities than depend on magic to win battles. She became colder, caring less and less about the people we were saving. At one point, she even asked me if we could stop hunting familiars altogether, saying that it wasn't worth the effort."

Our food was probably getting cold by now, but we were too enraptured to care. "I tried over and over to set her back on the right path, but she would have none of it. We became frustrated with each other, and our teamwork suffered for it. We had more than a few brushes with death, each one coming closer to claiming us."

Mami's expression hardened a bit. "Eventually, we realized that our drifting ideals had caused a rift in our partnership that couldn't be closed. I refused to admit it to myself, but I knew deep down that if we were to keep going as we were, one of us was inevitably going to die." I couldn't tell if the microscopic smile that appeared on her face was sad, sarcastic, or both. "Thankfully, Kyoko saved me from willingly confronting my failures by bringing it up herself. She told me it would be better if we split up and hunted witches on our own. Despite knowing that she was entirely correct, I couldn't help but ask her to stay, one last time. She responded by saying that from that point on, we were no longer teacher and student, and left."

We sat in silence for a few moments, before it was broken by Madoka. "W-what happened to her after that?"

"I don't really know," Mami answered. "Today was the first time I've seen her since we parted ways." Another small smile, this one a fusion of sadness and nostalgia. "...she hasn't changed at all."

Thinking on it a little, I realized this would likely be as good an opportunity as any to apologize for what I'd had her do. "Wow, uh… ooh. I could tell you knew each other, but… Christ, I didn't think you had that kind of history… shit. Um… well, for what it's worth, ah, sorry for making you… y'know, shoot your student and all. Even if she was kinda being a bitch."

She attempted to wave it off while heaving a sigh. "You had no way of knowing." That line gave me a brief stab of guilt thanks to my foreknowledge. "Besides, you were only trying to help Sayaka." Unwittingly twisting the knife, because I hadn't stopped the conflict from happening, even if letting it play out was my best course of action.

"In any case," Sayaka cut in. "We should probably figure out what to do next. Old student or not, that girl's still gonna be a big problem for us. And we can't forget about the transfer student. How do we deal with all this?"

We briefly fell silent to consider what we could do next. I decided to remind everyone of some info building blocks we had. "Well, for starters, I don't think Homura will actively try to antagonize us if Madoka doesn't make a wish. She seems laser-focused on keeping our pinko out of the contractor life, so if we don't do anything too reckless with her, we should be fine."

The head of blue hair bobbed down and up in a nod. "Okay… yeah, that sounds good." She smirked. "I mean, it's already a three-on-one against Kyoko, maybe even four if Homura decides to 'remove' her with us. Madoka would just be overkill by that point."

I saw Mami try and fail not to wince out of the corner of my eye, which turned to Madoka when she started talking. "Sayaka… are you really going to fight her again?"

For a moment, the girl was quiet, before turning to Madoka. "Yeah, I am. I'll admit she has good reasons for being like she is, but I can't just stand by and watch her let people die for her own gain."

"But, Sayaka…" She seemed unable to reconcile with the idea. "She's not a witch. She's a Magical Girl, just like you! You should be fighting together, not against each other!"

Her best friend kept the hardened gaze on her for a few more moments, before it softened. "...I can try to talk to her. I don't think she'll listen, given the way things are now, but… if you really want me to, I guess I can at least make an effort."

I doubted Madoka was completely satisfied, but it looked like she was taking what she could get with a smile. "Thank you."

We talked a bit more after that, discussing various potential battle strategies and other such things. Grief Seeds were also touched on, with Mami revealing that she had been building up a respectable stock during her personal crusade. We agreed to pool our resources, but also to divide the total hoard equally amongst ourselves to keep on hand since we couldn't just stick them into a multi-access pocket dimension like Homura could. With this plan, we could ensure that everyone had spare 'health kits,' and one could always request some from another if they were in need of an extra.

Once that was done, our food was finished, and we no longer had any real reason to stay. We exited as a group and walked for a bit, saying our goodbyes at an intersection before splitting up.

Well, Madoka and Sayaka did, anyway. (And Kyubey, riding on the pinker's shoulder.) But before the resident veteran could leave, I grabbed her shoulder. "Mami, hold on a second."

She wordlessly turned to me, an expression of confusion, anticipation, and very faint sadness meeting my own hardened, mutedly concerned gaze. I took a moment to psych myself up for the following interaction.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

When she failed to respond after a few seconds, I elaborated. "I know you said you were fine when we asked earlier, but… well, I don't need to tell you that you've been through a hell of a lot of shit recently." My hand came up, fingers individually extending while I listed the chain of events she'd experienced. "You almost died, lost your resolve, got it back not 24 hours later, had to confront your ex-apprentice, and ended up shooting her right after she nearly killed someone you care about. And that's not counting what you got up to in the time I haven't seen you."

She became more downcast the longer I went on. "I know you like to put on a brave face - trust me, I'm no stranger to wearing a mask - but we all know from Madoka and your letter that you're not as strong as you'd like to be on the inside." I leaned in a little. "I just can't help but wonder if all this pressure will cause you to snap again. I managed to re-set you once in a stroke of luck, but duct tape's not exactly a permanent solution if you catch my meaning, and I don't know if Miss Fortune will smile on me a second time."

I then realized that I was making less sense the more I talked, so I decided to wrap up quickly. "Eh- okay, look, the point is, I don't want you to go back to the state you were in when I brought you home. That doesn't help anyone, least of all you. And…" I paused for a second, finding myself at a sudden brick wall that I found myself quickly smashing through for fear of sounding weird. "If you ever need someone to talk to when you're feeling depressed, or useless, or like a failure…" My lips curled up into a stupid smile. "Then I'll be there to remind you that there's always someone who's worse. Like me!" I couldn't help letting out a short laugh. "I mean, you think you're bad? Wait 'till you see my elementary school records!"

"Audrey…" I stopped at the choked-up voice, finally noticing that there were tears in Mami's eyes. However, my question as to whether they were sad tears, happy tears, or something in between was quickly answered when she stepped forward, wrapped her arms tight around me and pulled herself in, the height difference sending her head right into my chest.

Whoa, okay!

"I… I'm not worthy of you..." her trembling voice spoke. "You deserve better than a burden like me…"

I snorted while I bent over and maneuvered my arms around her in turn. "Oh, please. If anything, it's the other way around. Even if the older sister figure routine's just an act, you can't deny that you've done far more good for this city than I ever have." A more subdued, self-deprecating short laugh left my lips. "All I do is try to plan, fail to come up with anything good, charge in, wing it, and hope everything works out. Really, the fact that I've somehow managed to not screw up horribly yet is nothing short of a miracle."

Her eyes came up to meet mine with a frown. "No. If you were dependent on luck, you wouldn't have been able to save me from myself. You are better than you think you are, Audrey. So much better."

"I could say the same for you," I returned. "If you really were what you think you are, you wouldn't be here now."

She only pulled me in tighter.

Eventually, I hit my maximum wholesomeness capacity. "Uh… okay, I think it's time we, ah, stopped. I think bystanders are starting to give us funny looks."

A block or so away, Sayaka had a sudden urge to dope-slap me.

Things had remained quiet after the alley clash. Kyoko needed to heal up, Mami needed to come to terms with what she would have to do, Sayaka had to prepare herself for the trials she would face while she was still a greenhorn, and I needed to get back to banging rocks together and cobbling up more half-baked plans.

As you can imagine, the constant stream of shaky-at-best to straight-up stupid ideas that came from my efforts didn't do my confidence any favors. When the afternoon of the 9th finally rolled around, I realized that trying to continue in my current state would be pointless and resolved to find myself a distraction. With that in mind, I set off for the arcade, as I hadn't paid it a visit in a little while.

One fast-travel session later, I walked through the doors, hitting the pause button on Cage the Elephant's "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" as I did so. Immediately after, I beelined towards the back of the building, where most of the older machines were kept.

As I had already been to my target multiple times, I found it in no time. Soon, I came upon my home turf - Midway's classic 1992 Addams Family pinball machine. Pantomiming a good old knuckle crack, I whipped out a few 25-yen coins, got my game credit, and hit start.

About a minute later, the sudden feeling of detecting a magic signature only a few steps away nearly cost me my first ball. Waiting until the opportunity presented itself, I caught the ball in a flipper cradle and held it there, effectively pausing the game for a moment so I could look behind me.

"...huh. Didn't expect you to be out and about so soon. I thought that bullet went through one of your internal organs?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Hell if I know. Still hurts like a bitch, though. I came here to get my mind offa things, but yer here, so… so much fer that."

I glanced at the machine, then back at the redhead chomping on a stick of pocky like one would a cigarette. "Not necessarily. You got a few quarters, I can stick you in for player 2. If you want."

I received a disinterested stare that turned into a smirk after a few seconds. "Ya really think I'd fall fer that? C'mon. I know a trap when I see it." Instead, she moved to the cabinet two spaces over, the flashy Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike logo on full display. "I'd like somethin' a little more direct."

"Suit yourself," I shrugged, and went back to my game.

Another minute and a ball drain passed, and I decided it might be prudent to let her know something. "Mami spilled the beans, y'know. About what happened to you."

Kyoko's computerized opponent blocked a risky move, and caught her in a brief combo string, causing her to scowl. "Alright. And?"

"...that's it, really," I responded after a brief pause to catch the ball from a misaimed shot. "Though you can probably expect the rookie to give a token effort at talking with you now."

"We both know that ain't changin' shit." Guarding against an onslaught, she retaliated with a move that knocked her enemy backwards, giving her some breathing room.

I flipped the ball towards the opened bookcase and into the vault behind it, locking my second ball. "Yeah. She talks a big game, but I seriously doubt she really… gets it, let's say. The most she's experienced was seeing Mami almost lose her head right in front of her, and that's downright saccharine compared to what you went through."

She said nothing, focusing on the move string she was currently executing. It was enough to deplete her foe's health bar, winning her the round and allowing her to move on to the next one.

"...actually, there is something else," I started as I passed the ball to my left flipper. "Even if he'll probably go down in history as the world's biggest overreacter, I've gotta admit that your dad wasn't entirely wrong." I backhanded the silver orb into the electric chair, locking the third ball and therefore starting the Multiball sequence.

The lancer briefly lost her concentration, causing her to miss a button input and subsequently get punished by the A.I. character. "Oh, yeah? How d'ya figure?"

Keeping track of three balls at once was never not a handful, but I had years of practice behind my flips. "Kyubey's a bastard. Plain and simple. The one thing I can't dispute your dad about is the fact that the Coobmeister's a devil stuffed in a sentient doll." By this point, I was scoring jackpots left and right.

Kyoko managed to get her rhythm back, leaping over a projectile attack and capitalizing on the move's ending lag to start a combo. "Man, ya really have it out fer that thing, don'tcha? I'll admit he's a weirdo 'n shady as hell, but he ain't dangerous. All he does is grant wishes. It ain't his fault if they're crappy."

"That's just it, though." I managed to catch all three balls in flipper cradles, and began to wait. "Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about why Kyubey does what he does? Or what actually happens when he turns someone into a contractor?"

The redhead finished her combo, launching the opponent backward and reverting to a probing strategy. "What're ya gettin' at?"

My patience paid off, as the "Power" magnets shut off due to my refusal to flip. With the path free of obstacles, I shot a ball up the Thing ramp, then took advantage of its resulting path and used the upper right flipper to send it up the staircase ramp, earning me the coveted Double Jackpot. "What I'm saying is that there's quite a bit of things that not even you or Mami know about this job. Big things. Important things." I paused to regain control of the ball. "Lethal things, even."

She managed to spot an opening and locked the A.I. in hitstun with a quick strike, transitioning into another string of moves. "Ya keep talkin' like there's some dark secret or whatever behind all this witch biz. What exactly didja go through that made ya that way?"

I cringed as a mistimed shot aimed at the staircase instead hit the trainwreck target, causing one of my balls to drain via the outlane and leaving me with two left on the playing field. "You expect me to tell that to the girl that damn near killed one of my buddies?"

"Nah." She continued her combo, reading the computer's attempts to escape like a book and countering them effortlessly. "I'm askin' ya to back up 'n prove yer point. Why exactly d'ya hate the little guy so much?"

I made a noise of dissatisfaction as a failed backhand up the bear ramp caused another ball to drain straight down the middle, ending the Multiball. "Hm… well, I guess I can tell you a few things. Not all of them, but some. You can ask Coobers about the rest the next time you see him. It's better if you hear that straight from the horse's mouth."

Kyoko stopped for a brief moment to cap off her combo with a level 3 super move, blasting the last remnants of her opponent's HP away and winning her the match. "Meh, guess that's fine. Go ahead." She fished out another stick of pocky to replace her previous one and left the cabinet, stopping at the one next to the game I was on.

Hooo, boy. Time to see how big of a storm I can bullshit up when improvising.

I was silent for a bit as I considered what to say while keeping my last little sphere in play. Eventually, I decided on a story. "I used to have a friend back in California. And I'm gonna tell you right now - she was probably the single best person I've ever known. Straight A's, good athlete, always had a smile on her face and a compliment for everyone she saw… I doubt there was a single bad bone in her body."

I held back a curse as a horribly-aimed shot cost me my ball, sending me to ball 3, which I refrained from plunging into play. "Then a good few years back, we were introduced to this life. Not by choice, mind you, but through a couple of unfortunate events." The game, having been left idle, made a few checks to ensure everything was still running smoothly. "Stuff happened, we found ourselves split up, and then the little rat showed up. He got to my buddy first, gave her the typical 'explain later, wish now' thing. She didn't question it, and we busted out."

I finally decided to keep playing, carefully calculating how far back I needed to pull the plunger before releasing it for a skill shot reward. "Now, because I was - and still am - a cynical genre-savvy little shit, I had a few reservations about doing the whole contract thing for myself. Saint that she was, she accepted it easily, and resolved to take care of everything herself."

I was in the middle of shooting the bear ramp to light the electric chair again when Kyoko started putting the pieces together. "I think I already know where this is goin'. How'd it go down?"

Flipping the orb into the chair scoop triggered the start of the "Tour the Mansion" grand finale. "I started noticing things that didn't line up, and asked questions. Eventually, I happened upon a question that it couldn't deflect or give a non-answer to, and it told the real truth. Once I managed to find the crack, I widened it, and soon enough, the floodgates swung wide open."

Acting swiftly when the prompt appeared, I shot the Thing ramp again and was rewarded with a Quick Multiball, adding another ball to the playfield. "I got him to spill everything he knew. How the system really worked, it's goals, motives, species, all of it." I was really raking in points now. "When it finished… I grabbed the nearest knife I could find and drove it straight into one of its eyes. That was the first time I'd ever actually killed something, but it wouldn't be the last."

I found I was really going knee-deep into it now, and a rueful smile stretched across my face. "I gave my friend the news as soon as I could. As you might expect, she was heartbroken, and yet… even then, she couldn't find it within herself to hate the tiny con artist." I prepared myself for another set of high-scoring shots. "She'd admit any day that its methods and execution were dogshit, but she also couldn't deny that it wasn't intentionally being malicious, just… very pragmatic in trying to achieve its mission."

"One sec," she interrupted. "What's up with the pronoun swappin'?"

I gave the best all-shoulder shrug I could with my hands locked on the buttons. "Technically it doesn't really have a gender and 'it' is dehumanizing, but I also referred to Coobs as a 'he' for most of my introductory time into this life. Honestly though, I don't give enough of a shit about the little devil to stick with one. Not worth it."

Kyoko let out an affirmative hum. "Keep goin'."

"Anyway…" I continued. "Even with everything she knew now, my buddy figured she might as well see everything through to the bitter end. And she did. One fateful day, she got unlucky, pulled off a desperate move, and was left with a completely black Soul Gem when the dust settled." I aimed for the Thing ramp once again. "By that point, I'd been carrying around a firearm she'd somehow managed to nick off an unsavory guy for a good long while, just in case. I didn't have the heart to pull it out when I realized what I needed to do, so with what little time she had left, she grabbed it and aimed it for me."

I fired my shot off, hitting my target and once again segueing it into a staircase ramp flip for another Double Jackpot. "I told her she didn't deserve what was happening to her. She replied that nobody did, but someone had to do it, so it might as well be her. …I pulled the trigger after that." A loud popping noise signifying that I'd garnered a high enough score to win a free game caused Kyoko to flinch slightly, which she accompanied with a muttered "Christ!" "That was the first time I ever killed another person, and for the sake of my mental health, I'd like to keep it that way."

She took a few moments to digest everything I'd told her. Meanwhile, I was mentally wiping a gallon of sweat off my brow at successfully managing to improv a whole backstory that got my point across completely on the fly. "...so yer sayin' that what Kyubey told ya was somethin' that made death seem like a better option compared to… whatever it is that happens when ya run outta magic?"

My second-to-last ball drained after a session with the bumpers sent it off into the outlane. "That's it in a nutshell, yeah."

One of her eyebrows came up as she folded her arms while leaning on the cabinet. "And ya ain't gonna tell me what does happen?"

"Nope," I confirmed. "Like I said earlier, you're better off hearing that and everything else important from the bastard himself. Makes it sink in faster."

She turned away, letting out a pensive 'hmph' as she further considered what I'd said. I ended up losing my last ball soon after, bringing my current game to a close. Stepping back from the machine, I stretched my arms over my head and about-faced to lean against the table.

A while later, I heard Kyoko let out a single subdued laugh. "Y'know, if that backstory's yer definition 'a 'tame,' then yer a lot more screwed-up than I thought."

I briefly gave her a confused look before I realized she'd been referring to something I'd told her during our meeting at the observation tower. "For the record, I was referring to the circumstances surrounding my own contract when I said that, not why I despise Coobie." A smirk of my own plastered itself on my face. "And if you think what you've seen of me so far's screwed-up, then you ain't seen nothin' yet, bitch."

"Whatever ya say, yank," she returned with a roll of the eyes. When she saw me cash in my free credit, however, she stepped forward. "Actually…" she held up her hand, fingers spread out, revealing four 25-yen coins held between each. "Put me up there. I ain't lettin' ya top any leaderboards on my turf without a fight."

"Dirty pool, old man. I like it!"

"Holy…" My jaw dropped when I heard the table play that voice clip as Kyoko snuck the silver orb behind the bookcase and into the secret vault before she opened it, sequence-breaking the game and locking her first ball. "I thought only dedicated pinball enthusiasts knew that feature even existed, let alone have the ability to actually pull that maneuver off!"

A smug grin was her natural response. "Eh, what can I say? Ya spend enough time here, ya eventually learn how to do well at every game this place has to offer."

I snorted in disbelief. "'Do well,' she says. Right, act like doing something that tournament-level players have difficulty achieving's only worthy of a 'good job.'" I threw my hand up to around shoulder-height. "We get it, you're a badass, now could you please stop rubbing it in everyone's faces every ten seconds?"

She actually had the audacity to remove one of her hands from the flipper buttons to hold it up to her ear. "Hey, anyone hear that? Sounded like a huge load 'a salt to me." She ended the jab with a mocking laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, ya cocky little shit," I grumbled, turning away and folding my arms. "We'll see who's salty once I start the tour."

I continued to silently moan and groan for a while until I picked up yet another signature. While I hadn't encountered this one as many times as some others, I still knew very well who was emitting it.

'Hey,' I broadcast. 'You feel that just now?'

If I'd looked behind me, I would've seen her nod her head slightly. 'Yeah. To the left, I think. Ya see 'er?'

I scanned our immediate surroundings once. 'Not yet…' I caught her on the second. 'Wait, there she is.'

A pause. '...think she'll go for it?"

I was a little surprised that she was implying that, but it didn't stop me from responding. 'Doubt it. Even if she's got the kit for it, she doesn't act like an assassin. Not to mention I'm right here.'

'Why's she even here, then?'

I took note of how she was in casual wear. 'Negotiations, if I had to guess.'

'Seriously?' Kyoko sounded indignant over the connection. 'She cockblocks me, gives me a death threat for 'bein' reckless,' and now yer tellin' me she wants to talk? That's one fucked-up set 'a priorities she's got.'

A humorless laugh left my lips. 'Don't ask me how her brain works. I barely even understand how my own noggin does things half the time. She is fairly reasonable when she wants to be, though. I say we hear her out.'

I heard her aggressively breathe out a short sigh. 'Ah, fine, might as well. Don't think we had much of a choice anyhow. Let's see what she's after.'

I called out to the purple-eyed girl when she came close enough. "Fancy seeing you here, Homu. I got the impression this wasn't your scene."

She didn't react, continuing to fix me and the back of Kyoko's head with her signature detached stare. The lack of response prompted my next words. "Sheesh. I swear, you're stiffer than a freakin' board. How many times have I told you to loosen up now?"

"This would be the third," she bluntly answered.

I raised a finger and opened my mouth, then thought better and lowered my hand. "Okay, fair. You've probably already got something to say, anyway. Go ahead."

She turned her head to the current player at the table. "Kyoko Sakura, I would like to tell you that you can have this city."

The stick of pocky in the redhead's mouth suddenly had enough pressure pushed on it to snap in half. "Now, what the hell's this about? Last time we talked, ya seemed pretty eager to slit my throat or somethin'. What made ya flip from that to this? Ya some kinda psycho?"

I frowned. "Oi, Kyoka-Cola. Ever hear of a little thing called tact? Look it up sometime." I switched back to Homura, ignoring the middle finger the big eater flashed me with. "She's got a point, though. Why did you go from threats of 'removal' to offering her the city?"

"She is a much better fit for the role of a Magical Girl. Sayaka Miki is ill-suited for the trials that our duties entail," was her factual response. She then narrowed her eyes slightly. "And I am beginning to suspect that you are also a poor choice for the position, Audrey Erryn."

My frown became more pronounced. "Now what brought that little criticism on? All things considered, I'd say I've been doing much better than I honestly thought I would." A notion popped into my head. "Is it because of my attitude towards everything? Because… well, I don't think you're changing that." My gaze turned knowing. "Not unless you wanna deal with me having a breakdown, which I can guarantee you is the farthest thing from pleasant you can imagine."

The transfer student said nothing, going back to Kyoko. "In any case, in exchange for giving you free reign over the city, I ask that you let me handle Sayaka Miki. I would rather things end peacefully than have anyone come to blows."

A derisive snort left my lips, and I cocked an eyebrow. "You sure about that? 'Cause from what I've seen so far, diplomacy isn't exactly your strong point. Whaddaya gonna do, sweep up from behind, put a gun up to her head and make it clear you're not looking for a fight?" I could've sworn I saw a hint of irritation flicker behind her eyes. "Come on. We both know that's just gonna do the opposite. She's well aware you're above her weight class, but do you really think she'll let a silly thing like logic stop her from trying to beat you?"

"I can back that up," Kyoko cut in. "From what I've seen, she's a lot like me. I don't care if I think someone might be better 'n me, I'll kick their ass all the same. Only difference 'tween me 'n her's that her bite ain't nearly as bad as her bark."

My thoughts led me to an alternative. "Unless you're talking about actually pummeling her into submission, in which case… one, you're just being a bully at that point, which is not very cash money of you, and two, again, she's not gonna just roll over and accept defeat." I paused, then lifted a finger. "That is, if you don't just kill her outright. But if you do that, then I find you, tear your spine out through your ass, and beat you to death with it. So…" The finger came down to rest on my chin along with an accompanying thumb. "Problem."

She closed her eyes, and I found myself disappointed when a sigh or huff failed to follow. "I see now that it was a mistake to discuss this matter with you." She began to turn away. "If you have no objections, I will be leaving."

"Hold it!" I muffled a laugh at the reference, and Homura's dead-inside reaction to it. "I'm gettin' tired 'a referrin' to ya as 'Mystery Girl.' So, do me a solid and tell me…" Kyoko briefly took her attention away from the playing field to give the black-haired girl a cocky head tilt look paired with a toothy smile. "Who are ya, really?"

The question's target gave what nine out of ten people would say was a correct answer. "Homura Akemi. Fourteen years old, second-year transfer student at Mitakihara Middle School. Magical Girl."

The smile lost its teeth while a 'heh' escaped the mouth it inhabited. "Not a big fan 'a bein' questioned, huh? Alright, keep yer secrets. See what I care." Her head turned back to the machine. "'Sides that, though… what's yer angle? Whaddaya get outta this?"

"Two weeks from today," Homura stated. "A witch called Walpurgisnacht will come to this city."

I cut off what Kyoko was about to say with "oh my god, finally! At long last, we get a fucking deadline for doomsday!" I threw my hands up, not-praising the sun for this not-divine gift.

The time traveler fixed me with a deadpan stare of disapproval. "You could have asked about it at any point in time earlier and I would have given you the date."

"Shut up and let me have my moment," I immediately shot back while continuing to milk the feeling.

The partial bit of Kyoko's face that I could see wasn't entirely buying it, however. "And how exactly do ya know when it's gonna pop up? Witches ain't really predictable if ya didn't know."

"That's entirely my business," Homura rebuffed with another one of her signature hair flips. "But in any case, if we manage to take it down, then once the battle is over, Mitakihara will be yours. You can do as you please with it then."

The smile was now back on the redhead's expression. "That right?" She seemed to consider something for a moment. "Walpurgisnacht, huh…" Then, she appeared to come to a conclusion. "Hey… whaddaya say we team up against her? Never a bad thing to get a helpin' hand every now 'n then, don'tcha think?"

She turned to face the transfer student, the ball having drained a few seconds ago, leaving her free to do so. A moment later, she offered her box of pocky. "Want some?"

About an hour or so later, after Homura left, Kyoko's brain apparently decided it was time to address something.

"By the way, what was that about 'cash money' earlier?"

I stared blankly for all of two seconds, before a too-wide trollish grin stretched across my face.

"Oh, that? Well, let's say some gangsta's dissin' your fly girl…"

For the second time in as many days, in her home a few miles away, Sayaka found herself with an out-of-nowhere compulsion to seek me out and dope-slap me.

A/N: IT IZ GOOD DAY TO BE NOT DED!

So, uh… yeah, I kinda totally dropped the ball on the update schedule. I finally got my new PS4 working, steamrolled through the bundled Modern Warfare's campaign and sunk into the depths of its multiplayer, finally got around to finishing Doom 2016, had school start back up… lots of things happened. I can't promise the next update won't take as long, for a few reasons, but I'll try my best.

Anyway, here's another huge monster of a chapter! We got backstory, we got plans, we got banter, shipping(?!), and just generally something for everyone! Well, except actual fighting. You'll have to wait for that stuff. But we got street fighting! That's a suitable substitute, right?

Speaking of which, holy shit did I have way too much fun with that scene. Using Kyoko and Audrey's respective game performances as mirrors of their conversation was a great opportunity to play around. Although, I'm sure you can tell which one I have more experience with. Although, I will say that it's very likely that Kyoko is a fan of Ken. But if you think you have a more accurate character pick for her, I'd love to hear it (since I have literally never played Street Fighter, much less Third Strike before in my entire life. And no, I'm not counting watching Evo Moment 37 as 'experience.')

Would y'all believe me if I said I had no intentions of coming off as shipping Audrey and Mami? 'Cause I actually don't. But I know some of you out there are just dying to get your next fix of fictional relationships, so here you go, ya freaks. I'm sure you'll also be willing to ignore the age difference and the fact that both of them are technically underaged. (...actually, considering at least some of you probably ship MadoHomu, that might be easier for you than I think.) But I'm not here to bash shipping. I like to believe I am above such baseborn antics.

For those of you who haven't read The Different Story, have a lore freebie on me! Thanks to Mami, you now have a general idea of what happened between her and Kyoko that caused them to split up. Of course, I wasn't able to actually check my version's accuracy to the original before I lost my ability to access it (R.I.P. MangaRock), so I may or may not have gotten one or two of the hyper-specific details incorrect. Then again, this is fanfiction, and as the author, I have the power to simply wave my hand and say "ehh, it's not the same timeline, maybe things just happened a tiny bit differently."

Speaking of differences, it seems Sayaka's feelings towards the current quote-unquote 'antagonists' have been shifted from what they were in canon. I mean, do you think she would've considered actually trying to talk with Kyoko if Mami was dead by now? (Well, possibly, but that's not important.) I wonder what this will change in the upcoming events, if it will even change anything…

Anyway, next time, we've got a wham of an episode. Soon, the Clash on the Big Bridge will commence! (Sadly, I can confirm that compared to every other instance of the event, this one has a 100% decrease in chances of Gilgamesh appearing. Disappointing, I know, but them's the breaks.)

Back to the typewriter for me!