i guess i was a fool.

" i didn't know about miracles, or the price you had to pay for them. " serial number: tm1016 weapon: cutlass [ tempestiva morte ]

[iustitiae-blog]

[ ☯ oo1 : video ]

[falansca]

“Sayaka?”

Fair enough. They at least answered her without yelling at her for being rude.  ”I’m Stocking. I’m from Heaven.” And she said this with all seriousness, if not for the part added; “Though up until now, I was in Daten City.” And of course, Sayaka didn’t look familiar at all. But then again, why would her and Panty have any reason to memorize the faces of everyone they saw on the job? It was pointless anyway, even if they looked up to the pair as idols or something.

They probably didn’t want to find out — what the locals looked like. Judging by their surroundings, there was no doubt that these so-called locals wouldn’t even be as nice as one would expect — maybe more savage than the usual.. local. 

“Nice to meet you, I guess.”  Or not. 

[iustitiae-blog]

Mm... 'Heaven.' Yeah right. Stocking may have been one of the single strangest names she'd ever heard, and Sayaka had seen her fair share of " paranormal " creatures to understand that not everything was always as simple as it seemed, but if this girl expected her to believe that she was from some magical land up in the clouds, she was sorely mistaken. The girl brushed it off, deciding that it was nothing more than a silly joke.

"Never heard of Daten City before... But I guess geography isn't really my strong point. It's nice to meet you too, Stocking." Probably. And, well; nothing academic was her strong point, really, but she had enough pride not to go spouting that to everyone she came across. As crass as the other was, there was no reason to act rude towards the stranger who had been kind enough to respond to her pleas when she so desperately wanted company.

Sayaka paused, let a short silence fall over them, before she shuffled quietly and re-steadied the camera. "So, uh-- Is this all... Real? Like, the island and what that kid said on the video... We really are trapped on this island?" She tried to keep her voice even, far from showing how worried she really was, and forced out a small chuckle.

"That's nonsense, huh...?"

[iustitiae-blog]

[ ☯ oo1 : video ]

[gentlewishings-blog]

Madoka wasn’t anyone special. She didn’t believe so, anyway. So why was she here now? She wouldn’t be any help in this big experiment. She wasn’t particularly strong or helpful or brave, despite what Kyuubey told her. Maybe, maybe, she could be a bit more helpful if she had taken the opportunity to become a Puella Magi. Had she known already that they would wind up in this situation, she might have already made her wish and contract.. Except now, it was too late. Not that it would be much help to her anyway, she figured.

She didn’t think her body could withstand much at all. The pink-haired girl was a bit clumsy and silly herself and always winded up getting bruises from the littlest things, so how could someone like her withstand something else so big, like the things this Gabriel guy mentioned? Fire ants.. Headless dogs..? She couldn’t bare the thought.

Nor could she bare the thought that she had a chip in her now. She didn’t dare look at the new scar in her arm for even a moment. It wasn’t worth the paranoia it gave her, so she figured that it would be best to ignore it.. for now, anyway, because Madoka was sure that it had to do with something that couldn’t be ignored. What could it possibly do, though? Poison her? Take control over her? Explode?

… That was crazy talk.

Whatever. Madoka would just do her best to stick it out and keep hoping. After all, she was sure that one couldn’t just stop doing that so easily.. Plus, she was sure that there were other people around somewhere. She couldn’t be the only one.. and if she was, well, then she might just have t—

A noise. A vibration.

What was that? She wasn’t aware of anything that could produce such a thing.. Maybe she should have paid better attention to the things she was told instead of worrying so much, but it couldn’t be helped now. The young girl reached into her messy, torn backpack that they had supplied her with, only to find some sort of cell phone with a message on it that told her their was an incoming video call.. A video call? But from who?

Only one way to find out.. Click.

The screen now showed a familiar blue-haired girl. Madoka almost jumped in surprise, but decided not to seem so startled.. That was silly. The girl, her friend, might tease her for it.. Then again, she doubted there would be any teasing in this environment.

“S-Sayaka? Is it really you?”

[iustitiae-blog]

Waiting for responses was nervewracking, like her nights spend preparing herself for her fate of tracking down witches and familiars throughout the darkened city streets with nothing but her own inexperience to lead the way. If she could find some sort of shelter, perhaps she'd feel more comfortable, but even the idea of moving too much made her wince. From what that kid had said, this place, whatever it was, was dangerous, and for once, Sayaka knew better than to act before thinking.

Gripping the cellphone between her fingers, she watched the empty screen for any traces of a reply -- when the blackness faded to a clip of a familiar, young, pink-haired girl, her breath caught in her throat and she almost dropped the device in her surprise; reflexively, she brought it close, peering into the camera in disbelief. Was that--?

"M-Madoka?" By now, her whole face was taking up the screen, thin eyebrows pulled down in a convoluted mix of worry and desperation; relief at seeing her best friend hidden under a wave of concern for the other's wellbeing, especially in a place like this. The last she had seen of the girl... she had been so caught up in her own ideals, so selfish and focused on doing what she thought was right, and--

She needed to know that Madoka was alright now, and that she knew now to regret putting herself first and getting ahead of herself, and she'd been so stupid--

Sayaka bit her lip, holding her breath despite herself. Back in Mitakihara Town, when everything was perfect and fine and she was happier than she had ever been before in her life, everything had seemed so peaceful. Undisturbed and good, as though everything was finally looking up for her. Even when she learned the true, nasty nature of that happiness, she had found refuge in her own despair; some twisted sense of having a reason to live in destroying herself and everything around her. Finding herself here, on this island, face to face with someone whom she thought she would be friends with forever... It brought Sayaka back to the reality that everything she had done was over now, so long as she was trapped on this stupid island.

And she was sorry.

"Madoka, I... I-It's me, it's Sayaka," she started, shakily bringing the cellphone back to a respectable distance from her face. She forced out a smile -- she owed it to Madoka to smile, at least, and prove how glad she was to see her. 

[dressups-blog]

♕ fragile mind [text]

[dressups-blog]

Elizabeth let out a low whistle as she waited, and waited finding a comfortable place to sit down now in this strange forest. Until she noticed a rotting body (of an animal, was it?) which made her scream, but she wasn’t supposed to give away any position; was she?

Cursing her own stupidity, she tiptoed around the body not even taking another glance until she sprinted into a run not exactly knowing where she was until she heard the light patter of a waterfall. She’d seen that sort of thing before, but didn’t expect it so much yet and to come across something of this already.

Anyway his would be the perfect place to sit and wait for a reply, or so she thought.

And just as she got settled her device lit up again, and she opened the face to be greeted with a message that she couldn’t understand. Just as the Middleford was going to reply, she was met with another message; and one she could understand this time.

A wave of relief washed over her as she read the context, smiling at the message now typing her own back.

It’s nice to hear back from you, Sayaka! I was about to respond before I received this one, but I’m thankful that there is someone else out here.

I thought the same thing, and I’m relieved to hear that I’m not alone in this game; even if I don’t think it’s any kind of game… I usually love games, although so far this hasn’t proved to be “fun” but then I suppose this is Gabriel’s idea of fun.

Her message was quite redundant, but Elizabeth didn’t know how else to express the little bit of anger, and excitement she was feeling at the moment. Hopefully the two would be able to understand each other.

[iustitiae-blog]

Sayaka's nerves made it difficult for her to settle down -- either she was bristling with worry about exactly what she might run into all the way out here, or she was overwhelmed by her annoyance towards the entire ordeal altogether. She pushed on, holding the cellphone tightly and paying no mind to where she was walking amongst the collection of low-hanging trees filling the forest. When her phone shook, she immediately pulled it up to her face and breathed heavily in relief, a small smile pulling onto her lips. It felt better than she would have imagined to be speaking to someone else.

[Yeah, I know what you mean. Ooh, if I see that little kid around here, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!12 Oops, sorry -- it's sort of hard to type while walking. This place is so weird... There's, like, broken metal and weird... things... all over the ground. I'm gonna end up falling on my face. cont...]

Hitting SEND, Sayaka hoped that the girl would understand that she would be sending a second message shortly after. Typing so much at one time was distracting, yet she didn't want to keep the only other person she had come into contact with waiting too long for a response. She continued trudging through the dense forest, her shoes squelching in patches of mud and her heels kicking up flecks of dirtied grass, leaves and dirt.

'Eugh... This is worse than hunting witches by far...'

She sighed under her breath and shook the dirt and -- god, she didn't even want to think what else had latched onto her leg during her travel -- onto the ground, her nose screwing up at the sight. To help her stomach the entire ordeal, she turned back to the screen and sent her follow-up message, taking extra care to type the words properly despite her hands shaking.

[Um, anyway... Where are you, Elizabeth? Maybe we can meet up somewhere?]

[dressups-blog]

♕ fragile mind [text]

The small device that Elizabeth had received once she arrived was still in her hands, contemplating the words that had been spoken to her from before. What was this thing anyway? She had no idea what it could do, nor what she was supposed to do with this mobile phone-like device.

After a few clicks around she somehow opened a texting system, and her green eyes wandered all over the other numbers that were located into it. Her head turned, and she looked around for the moment realising how alone she was here.

Maybe if Elizabeth could locate someone else she would be fine? Or she could at least speak to someone! She fumbled around a few more moments before starting to type on the text pad. Not exactly knowing who would receive her message, but hopefully someone would.

TEXT MESSAGE

RECIPIENTS: WHOMEVER

I’m not very sure on how this device works, but I hope that someone will at least receive this message and I will at least know that others are also here in this strange place! My name is Elizabeth, and I think that I am lost?

I still am quite unsure where I am, but if anyone is out here please let me know! Hopefully I have done this correctly.

And then her finger lingered over the send button, just as she re-read what she had typed. Maybe it sounded a little desperate, but Elizabeth was having a little trouble adjusting especially with the chip located in her body.

The scar and the chip itself was located on the back of her left leg, and she couldn’t ever allow anyone to see it. Thankfully though it was hidden by her skirts so it wasn’t noticeable at all.

Now all Elizabeth could do was wait to see if anyone would respond, but waiting was the hardest part for the Middleford. She hated waiting for things, but this time she had to be patient.

[iustitiae-blog]

Clutching her cellphone had almost become second-nature, even in the minutes that Sayaka had spent wandering through the dense forest of the island. Her shoes crunched countless leaves underfoot, the sounds only making her more anxious, and when she felt the familiar sensation of her phone vibrating in her grip, she almost dropped it to the ground with a badly suppressed gasp.

"E-Eh?! What's going on now?!" She stumbled over slightly, bringing the device up to her face with growing curiousity -- and worry. Flicking the screen open, she was easily met with the glaringly bright text message, prompting the girl to raise an eyebrow and hastily type out a response. A message like that meant that she wasn't alone, right? It had to mean that there was someone else out there -- there was no way something like that could be spam.

[hUH?????! U MEAN DERE'S SUM1 ELSE?????? wwwwwww]

Within seconds of hitting the SEND button, Sayaka felt the overwhelming urge to slap her hand to her mouth, or her forehead -- whichever came first. What sort of first impression was that? No matter how desperate she was, if that really was someone else sending her a message... She sighed and opened up a new reply, steeling herself with a deep breath. She needed to be composed and polite, and moreover, prepared, for whatever was going on.

[Um... Hi there! I'm Sayaka -- Sayaka Miki. Uh... You can just ignore that last message, okay? I got sorta excited by yours, is all. I thought... I thought I was the only one in this creepy place.]

Better. Once again sending the reply, the girl clutched the phone to her chest, awaiting the others' reply; if there was any 'other' to begin with.

[iustitiae-blog]

[ ☯ oo1 : video ]

[falansca]

It hadn’t been long since Stocking arrived. The whole explanation video on the phone had been watched as well, and it took a lot of self-calming to stop herself from hurling it to the ground, from destroying it and crushing it into tiny bits and pieces. She would need it, she told herself. She’ll regret it, too, she told herself. And she didn’t. Now here it was, ringing and ringing, and as the angel finally got tired of the noise, took it out, eyes adjusting to the bright screen before her eyes met with the other’s.

Keeping silent even after the request to say something, Stocking let a few minutes pass by before turning on her own video, her almost bored expression showing up on the screen of the phone.

“What? There are others here, too?”

Quite frankly, she thought she was alone on this island. Like Heaven thought that the coin collection and practically turning her and her sister into Ghost Busters weren’t enough of a punishment and thrown them onto the island, and that Gabriel guy was nothing but a phony. But it seemed that there were humans in the same situation as well? 

“Who are you?“ 

It may have been rude to demand a name before she had given her own, but this was unusual for her, and she wasn’t exactly the most polite person either. 

[iustitiae-blog]

Sayaka was taken aback, needless to say. The other girl's appearance on her video feed shocked the girl into a state of near petrification, blue eyes widening more than she could recall them doing ever before. Despite her shock, though, she was glad to see another figure -- someone who was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, actually alive, and well, and hopefully in the same situation as her. Someone who could, possibly, give her some answers.

Clearing her throat, Sayaka shook her head and prepared herself for one of the most awkward introductions she had to give yet.

"A-Ah... I'm Sayaka. Sayaka Miki."

What she wouldn't give to dive into the questions immediately, demand that this stranger tell her where she was and why, and what was going on and anything that was better than being told that she'd had a piece of metal jammed inside of her by some creepy kid. But she couldn't. She had learned what jumping ahead of herself could do; paid the price for her actions. For now, she'd just take it slow.

"Who're you? You don't look familiar... Heck, you don't even look like you're from Mitakihara Town." Nor did she look like an island local, but judging from her surroundings, Sayaka was willing to bet that she didn't want to know what the locals did look like.

[iustitiae-blog]

[ ☯ oo1 : video ]

Sayaka was met with a dull ache in her stomach, pain that wrapped around the base of her spine and clenched and tore and ripped away at her insides until she had to force herself to sit up from her position on the ground, her hands slipping under the fabric of her shirt to press against the cool, unharmed skin of her abdomen. Not a single drop of blood, no gaping wound, just... a single scar, tracing along her navel, where her Soul Gem would be glowing with life were she not in this form. 

"Ngh... W-What the...? I can feel it?" She scampered to her feet in an instant, the movement tugging the torn-up backpack in front of her with a quiet rustle. Her nails pressed into her skin, once, twice, experimentally; predictably, she was met with nothing other than a minuscule amount of pressure -- nothing compared to the sensation underneath. Biting her lip, Sayaka reached into the bag and pulled out the cellphone, her eyes pulling into a glare at the brightly lit screen. 'A chip,' that kid had said...

She clicked her tongue and raised the phone in front of her face, turning the camera on with one smooth movement.

"O-Oi! Hey! Someone out there better tell me what's going on here! I get that this is some sort of... island, I guess, but I don't really understand why I'm here, or why..." Why she had some piece of technology lodged in her belly, for one thing. She shook her head. "Where'd that kid go? I have some questions, in case he didn't know."

The girl sighed, her grip only intensifying around the thin case of the cellphone. She absently brought a hand to the tips of her hair and twirled strands of blue through her fingers, not once removing her gaze from the camera's glare. Was anyone even listening...? What if she was alone, now, left in only God knew where with some cheap ass phone knock-off, talking to herself like a lunatic?

It would almost be funny, if not for the fact that Sayaka was afraid of that harsh reality. 

"... I-Is anyone listening...? Just say something if you're there, okay?"