[voice, ota]

[rebells]

Hello there.

This is Jay. If we haven't spoken yet, I've been with this "coven" more or less since its beginning, and I helped coordinate defense during the first Uvi raid. Feel free to ask me any questions you don't want to bother Genette or Brie with; a more informed group benefits us all, after all.

I'm talking to you all in interest of that, actually: a number of us have expressed that a comprehensive listing of everyone's abilities, particularly those granted us by Qri, would be useful to have. If you'll come talk to me about yours, either over telepathy or in person, that would be much appreciated. Genette should know about your Qri-granted power, if you don't.

I'll be in the house we're staying in for most of the day. Please do take care of yourselves, and be careful not to get shocked.

[Indeed, Jay can be found at a table near the entrance to the coven's house, with a stack of papers that read:

NAME:
CAN YOU FIGHT?:
QRI-GRANTED POWER:
OTHER POWERS:

He'll be handing them out to anyone who passes by, although what you do with yours is of course up to you.]




((a thing for you to fill out))

Comments

[soulcomet]

It's good to meet you, too. I have spoken with her a little, but not so much about healing ... I should do that next time I see her.

[she pauses a moment, to find somewhere to sit so she can write. and, once she's settled:]

I guess the big question I have is ... ever since we first got here, they've wanted us to work on getting better at the magic Qri gave us, right? I still haven't figured out how I'm supposed to do that — and mine's so limited, it's already caused a few problems.

[rebells]

[He nods.]

It's something they haven't given us much guidance on, other than Brie's training session at the beginning of it all. The powers on my world worked differently, so I can't say I know what to do myself, to become more familiar with mine. Other than practice, of course.

Yours is time-limited, though, is it not? I think I remember Dirk saying something about that.

[soulcomet]

It is — I can only use it about once a day, and most of the time, I don't use it at all.

[it's hard to get good practice in when one gets only one shot at it every 24 hours, but that specifically isn't what Madoka struggles with. it's triage. it's making unfair decisions; it's trying to figure out who in front of her deserves healing more. sometimes there's no right answer.]

[maybe her magic won't actually get any better than this. but she's not willing to accept that she can't save everyone.]

What is your magic like? If you don't mind me asking.

[rebells]

[His expression changes almost immediately when she brings up his power; whatever it is, it's clear that he doesn't like it.]

I can--manipulate people's emotions, I suppose. After a fashion.

[soulcomet]

... Oh. [so eloquent. so reassuring.]

[such silence.]

Well ... I know we just met, really, but ... I've heard you talking at earlier meetings, and you've been organizing a lot for us, right? I think ... if anybody would be able to find a good use for that, it would be you.

[rebells]

[ . . .

This keeps happening to him. How has he managed to convince people he's a good person? He's not a good person. He's the furthest thing from a good person. That it's advantageous for people to think he's a good person isn't on his mind right now. It's just--how.]

. . . it's kind of you to say so.

[soulcomet]

[he is a good person, Madoka is certain of it. if she had any inkling of what Jay was actually thinking ... well, she has a hard time fathoming why so many of her friends think so little of themselves. and she doesn't know what she can do to help, but she is determined to try.]

[yes, that does mean Jay is a Friend now, by the way.]

I don't know if it's kind, so much as it's just what I've seen from you. Maybe improving your magic, for you, means finding a way to use it that works for you — not just making it stronger.

[rebells]

[Madoka is Too Much. He cannot deal with that smile. He gives a halfhearted one of his own instead and deflects the topic.]

I'll . . . have to think about appropriate ways to use them, I suppose. I managed to use them to placate the Uvi, although we couldn't find a way to communicate with them, even so.

[soulcomet]

Ah ... it sounds to me like you're already on your way to figuring it out then.

[and after a moment of writing silently, she stands, and slides the paper across the table toward him. it hadn't fully occurred to her until she saw it written down, but there really is a hard limit on all of her magic, both Qri-given and Kyubey-granted, isn't there? it makes her wonder just how much help she'll actually be later on. what if they go to a world that's like the island, and she can't transform?]

[the only other thing Madoka could think to write down that might be of help is about how hard it is to actually harm her. she is durable. send her to the front lines; it's where she belongs.]

[rebells]

[madoka please

He also cannot deal with Earnest Protagonist Proclamations, but he takes the paper and glances it over. Her general capabilities he vaguely knew, from Dirk and the Uvi defense plan, but--]

What sort of limits are on the magic arrows?

[soulcomet]

[wow who knew Dirk was such a Gossip. but Madoka wouldn't really mind that at all; she'll automatically trust anybody he does — even with her secrets.]

Well ... the source of my magic is pretty finite. It'd be really dangerous for me to use too much of it at once.

[rebells]

[He frowns; limits on powers being used at once he understands, but this sounds a little different from that.]

Finite? Does it--replenish itself over time, or do you only ever have a set amount?

[soulcomet]

It's ... it might be easier just to show you.

[she leans forward slightly, palm outstretched. a small, egg-shaped gem materializes, illuminating her face with a gentle pink glow - but lingering at the bottom is a cloud of swirling blackness that hangs there like a stubborn, negative thought in the back of one's mind.]

[corruption is persistent. despair is the end result. she will never actually escape it.]

Every time I use my magic, this gets a little bit more clouded. I don't think replenished is the right word ... but it can be cleaned.

[rebells]

[MADOKA DON'T JUST SHOW PEOPLE YOUR SOUL GEM. scree. But he doesn't actually know what it is, and he peers at it curiously.]

This--gem--is the source of your powers? [An odd arrangement. He frowns, but doesn't say that out loud--for the moment.] But it has to actively be cleaned--I see.

[soulcomet]

[IT'S FINE she trusts Jay not to steal it!!! Madoka has no reason to suspect that anyone in the coven would actually try to harm her - and magic isn't exactly a secret among them. so her probably naive tendency to trust the others no matter what continues.]

[she isn't really in a hurry to mention that it's her soul in there, however. the gem disappears, and reforms as a ring around her finger.]

That's the gist of it. But, as long as I don't fight for too long, it isn't a problem. If anything, it's taught me not to be too reckless.

[rebells]

What happens if it becomes too clouded? If I can ask.

[soulcomet]

[the true answers to that question lie a universe or two away from where she's standing right now. as she is, Madoka remembers only what Mami told her: that when one's magic is depleted, a Soul Gem becomes clouded. defeating Nightmares — turning a bad dream into a sweet one — will fix it, and the magic that was used will be restored. if Mami had ever indicated how dangerous the system actually is, she can't recall it.]

[of course, she understands now that it isn't nearly as simple as using and restoring magic. it is her soul, after all.]

... I don't really know for sure. [it feels like she's lying. like there's a secret she's keeping from herself, but she wouldn't know where to begin to reach it.]

But I do know that it wouldn't be good.

[rebells]

[Quietly:]

For you, or for the world at large? Or both?

[soulcomet]

Pretty sure it's just me. [she's wrong, but that's nothing new.]

It's okay, though — it doesn't look like much, but I do have a pretty good amount of magic. And it can be cleaned here.

[rebells]

[Oh, Madoka. That is not a statement anyone should smile about.]

I see. I assume you know your limits better than I do, but do be careful. I'm sure your friends here wouldn't like to see anything happen to you.

[soulcomet]

[that was a part of her final wish, after all: every magical girl should smile until the very end.]

I will, thank you. Um ... please be careful, too, okay? I don't mean your magic, just — in general. I don't want to see you getting hurt.

[rebells]

I'm not exactly the reckless type. [This is only mostly true.] But it's kind of you to think of me.