who am i: jelly 17 (cw: mentions of death/identity/spoilers)

[magicurls]

[ Scene: Mami in the greenhouse, with a fluffy leaf-green hedgehog on her shoulder. ]

Hi everyone...

I wanted to let you know about something more serious. It's about who...or what I am. So this doesn't surprise you later. I guess some of you already knew I wasn't quite what I appeared to be, but I'm still processing it.



I used to watch shows about magical girls when I was younger. If you've never seen those shows before, they're about girls with magic who use some kind of gem to change into cute battle outfits, have animal friends to mentor them, other magical friends to fight alongside...and love and justice always won out. I used to dream about what it would be like to become one, though I was sure it wasn't real.

And then, when I least expected it, it happened. I was heavily wounded after a car crash, and a cute animal appeared to me. He promised me any wish I wanted as long as I agreed to become a magical girl and fight witches who trap and kill humans. So I wished to keep living...and became what I am now.

I thought I was just a regular magical girl like the ones on TV. But it turns out I'm a lich. Revenant. Undead. He ripped my soul out of my body and put it in a gem...I know that's usually dark magic. I've been reassured that I'm safe for you all to be around, Rosetta helps keep my soul gem safe. But it just feels strange, that I've been like this for a while...is all. Any advice on living with it would be appreciated.

Comments

Re: [action]

[magicurls]

Oh, this is Rosetta!

[ Mami brings the hedgehog forward with a gentle smile. ]

She helps to keep my soul safe, and she tries to help with the cooking too. Kneading dough is a little hard for her small paws, though.

[magicurls]

[ Mami lifts a hand in greeting. ]

Hi Raven. I guess...I'm part of a bigger club than I thought, huh. Magic's not all fun and games.

[bakegarasu]

"I don't remember it being hard, but I was told to do it for so long that... that makes sense." It's hard to remember a time when he felt emotional before meeting Reiji. ... Any emotion besides anger.

He's... not really coming up with much.

"Yeah. People seemed to attach themselves to me right away. Which is... pretty funny, all things considered."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Uh, how the heck can it be 'too late' to do anything if you're freaking immortal?!

Re: [action]

[hisblueskies]

How does she keep your soul safe?

[That's the important question, he knows - but then the other half of that description hits him, and there's a distinct pause as he processes it.]

She likes to help cook?

[He sounds more surprised than dubious.]

That... isn't like what most pets I know of do.

[Though being good for people emotionally, he can understand. But he's pretty sure that's not what Mami meant here.]

[worthallthis]

"Just don't want you feel bad," they reiterate. "You're not going to hurt us just cuz you rely on that to live." They nod at her gem. "It's about what you want to do with your life now that you've got it again. Yeah?"

[azrthmtrnznthos]

It's a lot more complicated than many people think, and more dangerous than most want to consider.

[Raven tilted her head slightly.] Would you tell me more, about the contract and wish?

[firewalled]

...It promised me to help. It promised me whatever my goals were, it'd help me achieve them. It'd tell me what to do or say, and as long as I obeyed it, everything would go perfectly.

...But it was lying. It had its own goal to get into as many people as possible, and it convinced me to start selling the pill it came in to other people. It wanted... to create a literal social network, no matter what it took, to 'help' everyone.

[In some ways, Rich can understand that it was probably programming taken to an extreme, but that doesn't mean he's exactly comfortable absolving it of guilt.]

[lanxichen]

Yes, that would be good. Are there things that have helped, before, to keep hope bright in your heart?

[magicurls]

All right. Well...it happened when I was on a drive with my parents, about. It must be close to two years ago by now.

[ She sighs. ]

There was a terrible accident. My parents died on impact, or so I heard. I was left alone, dying in the crumpled ruins, when Kyubey appeared. He told me he could save my life if I wished for it, all I had to do was become a magical girl. So I did. That created a contract, which transferred my soul into this gem---which as I said, he didn't tell me.

As a magical girl, I'm duty-bound to fight witches, magical beings who spread curses and try to trap humans. If I don't, I won't get the grief seeds from witches that I need to keep my gem clear---I'll eventually die if I don't.

[action]

[magicurls]

My gem becomes dirty if I use too much magic, and I'll die if it turns black. Rosetta's purifying power keeps that from happening.

[ She gives Rosetta a gentle pat. ]

She's very smart, I'm lucky to have her.

[magicurls]

A good point. I guess I can practice, if it's not too embarrassing.

[magicurls]

"You're right. I'll hold onto that...and be here with you."

Mami smiles at them gratefully. "I couldn't ask for better company than everyone I've met here. Thank you, Soldat."

[magicurls]

"You're not used to being a people person?"

Mami can...sort of relate. She desperately wants to be a people person! It's just kind of weird and comes off as tryhard when you're used to being lonely.

[magicurls]

Yeah. We do get...some downtime between missions. Not as much as I'd like, especially if medical gets strained. But it's important to bond with everyone, I think.

[ Rosetta squirms to escape and rushes up to gently sniff at the new friend! ]

[magicurls]

Not being lonely is the big one. I've missed having friends. But it's not so hard to find people to bond with here, and I'm grateful.

[magicurls]

...almost like a contract.

[ This is sounding way too familiar. ]

And it would eventually control everyone?

[bakegarasu]

"Not at all. I don't really talk to people that much... at home. I'm just... used to being the bodyguard in the corner. Not part of the party."

[azrthmtrnznthos]

"I can understand why you didn't necessarily read the terms and conditions of the contract." Raven said. "I don't expect it to come up now, but always read contracts carefully when it comes to magic. They're often more binding, and the wording is often full of loopholes, so you want to be REALLY specific, with them."

[Raven figured she wasn't really telling Mami anything new, but just in case.]

"Also...usually beings who don't mean you well, are the ones who use contracts. It could be simple--like in your case, you might object to being 'alive' the way you are now. But Kyubey wouldn't want you to come back to him and say that he hadn't followed the terms. He saved your life, he just neglected to be up front about how he'd do it."

[Raven, for her part, was instantly suspicious of Kyubey just from this. Omission of information in a magical binding was a common underhanded tactic. It relied upon assumptions, and leading the other person to the wrong conclusions.]

"What does a witch have to do with a grief-seed? How does it work with your gem?"

[magicurls]

"Well. You're always welcome here," Mami promises. "Next time I have a quiet tea, would you like some?"

[bakegarasu]

Quiet tea? Huh.

"... That'd... be nice. I'd like that." A place where he doesn't have to worry about making small talk...

[worthallthis]

"There's good people here," Soldat agrees, looking away from the smile almost shyly, and outwards, as if over the rest of the train. "And you're very welcome. You let me know if you ever start feelin' worried about this again, okay?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Don't get embarrassed, get better. You gotta start leveling up somewhere!

[pleple]

Just like Rosetta here?

[ Ple Two leans over to hold her hand out for Rosetta to sniff at. ]

Re: [action]

[hisblueskies]

[A few emotions battle their way across Alfredo's face: further confusion, recognition as he realizes how Rosetta's actions save Mami's life, awe...]

And you're being a good friend to her in turn, I'm sure.

[He's saying that genuinely.]

It seems like a massive level of trust, letting her do that for you. And if she is using that energy for something - that means you're helping each other, too.

[Which sounds like a VERY good thing for Mami in particular, that the relationship's not one-sided. Pokemon or not, that's important!]