middleofsomewhere | Memory Cave

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Memory Cave

After the passengers see a glimpse of a life that is not their own they appear in a cave. It is light, a strange moss glowing on the walls and ceiling illuminates the cave nicely and it is large enough for them to pace around in without trouble.

They are not alone. In the cave with them is another voidtrecker. Maybe someone they know well, maybe someone they have only seen in the aisles of the train. But they are together in this cave together.

The cave has no exit, at least not yet. They know that it will, eventually. When the time is right.

But for that time to come, they first must talk...

(OOC: For reference: memories!)

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[ She remembers very well. She bites her lip and nods...of course she'd see into her last moments. ]

The bug was a witch, a magical creature who tries to trap humans. They call out to people who are suffering, and try to suck them into their labyrinth---the cake room was the deepest part of it.

I'm something called a magical girl, a warrior who's supposed to fight witches and keep people safe. That witch caught me off guard, and I failed. That means death.

[ She sighs. ]

I saw some things too...you've been training to fight for a while?

[ It's not said unkindly. She can see the signs of worry. ]

[A magical creature. A monster of some kind.

And this Mami was a magical girl, someone who fought these monsters and kept them safe.

It makes her want to run even more. Anyone knowing anything about her was bad enough but a priestess... A magic user. Magical girl, if that was the word on Mami's world. Someone clearly light-following.

She looked around again, but there is no way out, she knows it in her heart.]

Failure do always be meaning death. [She already knew that death was... weird on the train, and that it took those who were dead as well as those who were alive. She wrinkled her nose.] I can be fighting. Yes.

[She doesn't know what she saw, and it's making her very worried indeed.]

...the first time, yesterday, you were leaving. To train at a temple. And today, you were training with your...sister?

[ She looks rather worried. ]

You work so hard. This cause...it's your life, isn't it.

[Leaving is not so bad... She can think of a few things she might have seen... That probably wasn't too bad. The second. She clenches her jaw. But she can't just pretend... Not if she's seen.

But she nods. It was her life. That was true and she did work hard. What Mami had seen can't be too bad if that's what she was saying.

She doesn't quite relax but she does smile.] Yes. You do be working hard too, training hard and teaching others. I did be seeing... [It doesn't take much to remember the name.] Sakura-san. You did be becoming her teacher. She did be thinking you did be being a good magical girl.

Kyoko...

[ Mami hadn't thought about her too much recently, but it still hurt. She folded her hands in front of her. ]

I still couldn't save her from pain. I hope she's all right, wherever she is.

But are you all right?

Teachers should no be saving their students from pain. [That wouldn't be a good teacher, would it?] They should be teaching them to be coping with it.

[She can't say from that small memory if Mami is a good teacher. But if she had teachers who made her peach pie, she wouldn't be complaining.]

Of course I do be being alright. [She sighed, she doesn't like this. But there are things she hasn't kept secret here and she can speak about those easier.] You do be being right, I would have been going to be training at a temple, I would be going to be learning to be a Warrior, they do be protecting priests and priestesses, who do be being people who do be having magic. But I did be coming to the train instead so I did no be going there yet.

It's a very important job. I'm sure you're going to do well. As hard as it is to leave everything behind...

{ She sighs quietly. ]

Magical girls make wishes. Our wish comes true, but the price we pay is that we're bound to spend the rest of our lives fighting witches and saving everyone. Kyoko made a wish to help her struggling family...but when her father found out she'd used magic, he felt so betrayed that he took the whole family away, leaving her alone.

[ A slight sugar-coating of the truth, but more for Mami's benefit than Little One's. That particular topic is hard. ]

Kyoko lost faith. She decided she didn't care about saving people anymore, only preserving herself. We fought...I couldn't live with myself if I was like that. So we parted ways.

[She shrugged, because it turned out she had left much more than Gauig behind, she had left her whole world. And she was coping, so she would cope at the temple. If she ever returned.

She listens, wishes that come true, bound to spend their lives saving everyone. Sounded stupid, except it is clearly something Mami feels is right, that she had pride in.]

Why would he be being mad about magic... [It would beyond an honour for a daughter to have magic and help a family, in her world. Different worlds are...

She can't really fault Kyoko, she had tried to save her family and her family had left her alone. Why would she want to save anyone else after that? But Mami... Mami is so light following it's painful, wanting to save people...]

You did be saving people... Before that bug did be eating you. I did be hearing voices.

...Madoka and Sayaka. I thought they would've died too, but another magical girl got to them in time.

[ The only thing that's slightly eased her guilt. ]

Most people dislike magic. They like to think everything is understandable through science, and results are achieved through hard work, not 'miracles'. Magic is hard work, but...

{ She shrugs. ]

He thought the good fortune wasn't real because he hadn't earned it.

Oh. I do be knowing a Madoka... [And their voices had sounded similar...] Do it be being the same one who do be being with us on the train?

[The rest though. People disliked magic... That concept, she wrinkled her nose.] Magic do be being really hard work, and do be being a gift from the gods, in my world. So if you do be hating magic you do be hating the gods. That do be being no right. You did be saying that in your world magical girls do be working for their wishes, just the wishes do be coming first. [Like a debt.] So it do no be being true, she did be earning it, or would be earning it.

[Being in debt was a dangerous thing. That father was ungrateful!]

Yes, that's her. We almost became friends back then, but there wasn't time...there is now.

[ She nodded. ]

Yes, but he didn't see it that way. He thought that all magical girls were from...the devil, I guess that's one way of putting it. Out to tempt and harm innocents.

People are usually afraid of what they don't understand.

[She wrinkled her nose. Madoka was soft and silly but also... She remembered the dream they had shared. Where Madoka had been brave, fighting monsters with a magical bow.

Indeed now she thinks about it... That dream with them on top of the train. It hadn't been a cake room but there had been similarities.]

The devil? [She can agree with that though.] Most people do be being stupid, they do be having small minds.

[ And she finally laughs a little. ]

It's okay. Whatever happened...everyone has their reasons for who they've become, right? We can't really judge without knowing the full story.

[ She says this last part pointedly, though her smile is still kind. It's okay. ]

I do be guessing so. [She is not sure she agrees, but she also gets the slight hint. Mami is giving her the benefit of the doubt. She is not being dangerously nosy. It is a gift and not one she is going to squander.]

Do people on the train be judging you? For being a magical girl? [Because she will punch those people. But also...] I do be being good at keeping my mouth shut.

[A gift in return.]

I've been more open about it...but not everyone knows. A lot of people think it's interesting. I guess their worlds are more open about magic than mine.

[ She smiles. ]

I'll do the same. Don't worry.

[She nodded, a small smile. She's still worried. She doesn't like that something got into her head and put part of her memories in Mami's head. But it makes her feel a bit better, Mami saw nothing that she would be too mad at and she was willing to keep it quiet.]

Magic do be being important, so I do be thinking it do be being cool that you do be being a magical girl.

[ Mami just laughs a little. ]

I'm not that cool. I have things I need to work on...to be as strong as I can while I'm still alive here.

But thank you. Let's meet later, whenever we get out of here...I think I have an idea for a coconut treat recipe.

Anyone who do be knowing coconut treat recipes do be being very cool. [Does she know what coconut is? No. But she knows treat and she understands the offer and that's enough. Enough for her to like Mami, even if she is still wary.

Her head tilted as the light in the cave changed slightly, blinking at the two doors.]

Oh. We can be leaving?

[ Oh, doors! Mami glanced at them and nodded. ]

...I think so. Be careful out there...and I might bring something by for you later, okay?

[ She smiled one last time as she turned to the door, snapping back. Weird. But she had things to think about, and things to do. ]

[She nodded, once, looking at the doors.] You do be being careful as well.

[She had known this wouldn't be a relaxing holiday. She moves through the door, a lot running through her mind. Stupid cave.]

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Memory Cave

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