102/Homura and Runealy Meet Again

Homura and Runealy Meet Again
Date of Scene:	27 June 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Downtown
Synopsis:	After Runealy meets Nagisa, she begins to realize just how scary it is to be a Puella Magi. She checks up on Homura to make sure she's really okay.
Cast of Characters:	Homura Akemi, Runealy Waldia

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Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura Akemi's apartment isn't hard to find. She could've given Runealy directions over the phone in case she forgot. The outside seems normal enough: a dreary apartment building with the entrance on the corner of the block. Going inside would lead one to a set of stairs (or an elevator if one prefers), and getting to Homura's room is just a matter of finding the door that has the right number on it.

Homura herself sits on a curved blue couch inside a large white room. A large pendulum hangs from the wall, swinging from side to side, obstructed occasionally by images and pictures that float across the wall. The couches seem like parts of two incomplete circles, a large red broken circle enveloping a smaller blue circle. A table rests in the exact center of the room, covered with a jumble of balled-up pieces of paper: the remains of plans no longer valid or having gone awry.

Other white, rectangular seats are arranged around the circle, like lines radiating from the center table.

Homura is in her henshin, awaiting the arrival of the Princess. She didn't think the Princess would recognize her outside of her transformation, so being transformed is more convenient. Homura has a piece of paper sitting in front of her with a single phrase written on it and circled several times: 'Where is Walpurgisnacht?'

After a moment she balls up the paper and tosses it aside. Not much point in thinking about that now.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune took the stairs; she's not rightly sure what the 'metal rooms with no windows' even do, and thus avoids them. Taking the long route gives her a lot of time to think in any case, recalling Homura's words... implications of the 'certain version of the truth' Homura shared a few weeks ago. Things that weighed on Runealy's mind when she heard them, and even more so now.

In time, she makes it to the right apartment door. After a moment's hesitation, the alien princess raises her hand and knocks softly a few times, then waits. Should anyone answer, they'll find she looks somewhere between calm and unsettled; coming to terms with unpleasant thoughts, but not freaking out over them.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura looks up as she hears the knocks, and she stands up. It doesn't take her long to reach the door. She opens up the door, and sees Runealy. If Homura notices her feelings, it doesn't show on her flat-lipped cold face. She steps aside and holds the door open, saying, "Come in."

After Runealy comes in, if she does so, Homura closes the door and starts leading back to the couches and the table, sitting back down before she continues.

"How are things? You don't tend to come over very often."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Thank you," Runealy responds as she steps in... and blinks, awed by the walls and layout. Even for Tokyo, a land of seemingly endless possibilities to her, this is impressive. "Sorry... should I be? I always thought you were so busy, and... well, in some ways, so am I. Maybe I should have come sooner, though."

Runealy explains herself, gaze finally returning to her host rather than their surroundings. "I wanted to check on you, make sure everything was okay. With everything I've learned over the last few days, I finally understand. You told me, and the words made sense, but I didn't truly 'get' them until I saw it. So now I definitely want to be sure you're alright!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
"You don't have to," says Homura. "If it were an emergency, I would've found you." Homura had meant to follow up things with Runealy, but for some reason it never came up. Too busy, possibly.

Turning around to Runealy, Homura tilts her head. She flips her hair back and holds out her hand, causing her Soul Gem to appear. It's mostly clear purple, reflecting the color of Homura's eyes, with very little darkness. "I'm fine. I'm doing better, actually. There are things that I expected to happen that haven't happened, so I'm a little confused, but..." The Soul Gem vanishes, taking its place on the back of her hand.

"So... you saw what I was talking about. Hearing about it and seeing it are two different things..."

Homura's head tilts the other way, curious, "What exactly did you see? What happened?"

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"If there ever is an emergency, you can always call me. I'll be there." Runealy looks at the gem, realizing only part of its significance... but smiling slightly as she sees its color and Homura confirms her wellbeing. "That's good. As for what I saw... I didn't realize it at first. It was only when I put names and events together, based on what you told me, that I figured out I had probably just met another of your kind. Tell me,"

The smile fades, gaze lowering. "Am I right in thinking you can mis-use your wish? That you can make it without realizing how permanent it is, that there is no taking it back or doing it over, and that once you've made your choice you are 'in', for better or worse? Because I think I met someone who did that, and just found out their mistake. I saw a glimpse at how you and your friends might have the scariest job in Tokyo."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura pauses at Runealy, perhaps even stares at her for a bit. Her face gets slightly tighter, perhaps even angry. She turns away. "A lot of Puella Magi enter into a contract without fully realizing what they're getting into. They think it's a simple matter of fighting for a wish. Everyone gets what they wish for, but there's always a price for it."

When she turns around to look at Runealy again, she seems calmer. "I once knew one girl who wished to bring a cat back to life. Was her own life worth a cat's? I don't think so, but it was her wish to make."

"it's scary, yeah. That's why I don't want my friends to get involved in it. They're worth so much more than that." Homura's voice seems uncharacteristically soft when she says that, but only for a moment.

"Who was it, if you don't mind me asking? If they're new, they might need someone to look after them."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"So it is that bad..." Runealy is unnerved as she gets final confirmation, the last piece of the puzzle that the 'edited truth' she has about Puella Magi now fully and truly makes sense; understood factually and emotionally. "This was even worse. This was someone who thought they made the right wish, and only afterward found out that they made a terrible mistake. And now they're going to have to live with both sides of that, the mistake /and/ the price. As for who..."

She pauses to think on this. Is it really okay to divulge an identity, the identity of someone who seems to be wrestling with their mistake? That would certainly be a bold breach of confidence and privacy. "They..."

Homura's words echo in her mind, words of talking about friends' lives and how valuable they are. The alien princess decides that someone's loss of privacy is worth it if it helps them at what appears to be the worst time in their life. "Her name is Nagisa Momoe. She said she's a second year student at Infinity. I'll leave it up to her if she wants to tell you what her mistake was, but I will say that she definitely needs a hand. Maybe a lot of hands. I think the Mami Tomoe you mentioned is helping her, if I met the same 'Mami Tomoe' you know. Someone introduced herself by that name and helped calm Nagisa down." It could be a case of 'same name, different person', but the possibility that it's a match is enough for Rune to bring it up.

Homura Akemi has posed:
"Unlikely," says Homura Akemi. "There are a few Tomoe families around here, but there aren't very many Puella Magi named Mami who would be able to help her. Was she blonde with drills in her hair? If so, then yeah that's the same Mami I was talking about." Homura takes a lock of hair and wraps it around her finger to demonstrate 'hair drills', though it's not really a perfect replication.

Homura Akemi isn't used to the whole Secret Identity thing. It isn't until this timeloop that it was even a deal. "So her name is Nagisa Momoe. I haven't heard that name before, but if she goes to Infinity I can probably keep an eye on her. Mami... is a good mentor, but she gets overconfident sometimes."

Homura can't recall a Nagisa. That's interesting. A new Puella Magi she's never met before? Yet another new change. From the sound of it, she's very young, too.

"I'm not happy about someone that young becoming a Puella Magi, but if Mami's already looking after her then maybe she'll be okay."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Ah... yes, that sounds like her." On its own, this insight from Homura won't truly be enough for Runealy to associate the Mami she met as being one of Tokyo's magical heroes, but it's enough to suspect it now, at least. "If that was Mami, she's every bit as wonderful as you said she is. She did a lot to help Nagisa feel... well, not 'better', not after that mistake, but 'less bad.'

"Either way, I'll leave it up to you how you want to take care of that." Rune looks up, finally making eye contact again. "Now that I really understand, I want to do what I can to help. The idea that you and Mami and others like you are doing really wonderful things for people, and risking more than anyone else I've met to do it... that's amazing. If there's anything I can do to make this a little less scary, a little better for you, I'll always want to hear it!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
"Mami... Mami tries to make things better for people," says Homura. Something dark appears in her eyes for a moment as she says that, but she doesn't dwell in it.

Homura considers the rest of Runealy's words in silence. Could anything really make it better? Is there anything that could be said or done that would make it better? Homura sighs. "I've tried many times to make things better. I don't think there's much that can be done. I think that helping Puella Magi fight Witches is helpful. Stopping someone from getting too depressed would help, too."

Homura frowns, adding, "I pointed Mami out to you because she's one of the better examples. She isn't... perfect." Homura pauses again when she says that, but it passes, "but not all Puella Magi are like that. In fact, a lot of the Puella Magi who act like Mami tend to not last very long."

"Some Puella Magi would only see others of their own kind as competition, and not all of them really care about others who get hurt. I don't want you thinking that all of us are saints, because thinking like that will only lead to disappointment later."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"If that's what I can do, then I'll do that." Runealy doesn't ask about why avoiding depression would matter; she has no reason to suspect there's some deeper purpose in that, and knowing what it's like to go through that even without any implications for one's magic is enough to accept both 'requests'; helping them fight and keeping one of them from getting too 'down' are both fine things.

Then Homura raises an important distinction. "No? I had no idea. I never would have guessed. So far, every time I've met a new 'kind' of person, they're all usually the same within their 'type.' Sailor Mercury is kind and worries about keeping people safe, so is Sailor Mars, and they say the others like Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter are like that too. What you're describing, though..."

She suddenly decides the bizarre walls in Homura's apartment are a fine distraction to look at. "'Competition', you said. I guess now that I know what's going on, I can see why. So in other words, if I somehow get another one of those Seeds..." And it's very much an 'if', Runealy has realized she will /not/ be acquiring huge stockpiles of these things to hand out like parade candy, "I need to be careful to give it to someone who won't hurt others? To someone like you or Mami?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
"Or Nagisa," says Homura, "if you meet her again. Actually, I don't really need more for the moment."

It's only half true, and some of Homura's friends may be annoyed with her for saying that, but Homura has her own goals. She really doesn't want to have a large stockpile at the moment. Not until she knows how certain things are going to go.

"... but in any case, I wouldn't want to withold from someone just because they're selfish. That's like food for us. Or air. I can't really hold it against them if they grow selfish out of desperation or fear. All of us have made the same choice, and all of us have had to pay for it. Some take that better than others."

Homura shrugs, saying, "Still, if you do have one, giving it to a Puella Magi is probably the best thing you can do with it. Mami is nice enough. Maybe Nagisa will turn out to be that way, too. You never know."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Runealy blinks as Homura makes some key comparisons. "Oh... right. I knew that, but when you say it like that, it made it sound like I was going to... well, refuse to give it to someone if they..." Several headshakes follow. "I'm not like that! You're right, I'll keep that in mind."

Then another, single headshake comes after Homura's conclusion. "I think it's the /only/ thing I can do. I tried, you know. I poked and prodded at it to see if it had any use, and found nothing. You explained what the consequences would have been if I held onto it and kept doing that. Useless to me, literally life or death to others. Mami and Nagisa first, you if you change your mind or I can't find anyone else to give it to, then anybody else after that. That's the only question, 'who gets it'. Someone has to, though. I'm just... glad you're doing well enough that you can turn those down right now. I was really worried, once I figured out everything that has been going on lately!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
Figured everything out? Well, Homura considers how much Runealy really knows. "I think that's fair. They're always in demand, and there's always someone who needs them. If you can find such a person, then I think the best thing you can do is let them have it."

Homura Akemi looks in her shield, digging through the subspace inside of it. She pulls out a few Grief Seeds and looks at them. "If I were desperate, there are people I could ask. I don't have so many that I can waste them, but if I hoard them all then someone else is doing without."

Homura's intentions may sound a bit more pure than they actually are, but practicality and morality coincide more often than people think. "I don't mean to imply anything about you when I say that. I know you mean well."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"I will!" Runealy insistently, immediately agrees to Homura's suggestion while marveling at the Seeds. Useless to the alien princess, but life itself to Homura and her peers... and she is impressed. "You really are wonderful, knowing when you have the right balance like that."

"Still, I think I've figured out some important things, and I'm glad to see you're doing okay. Don't let me keep you if you're busy?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
"I'm not that wonderful," says Homura. "I just know what I'm doing, and I can't afford to fail. More people being alive means more people around to deal with what's to come. I'm actually a lot more selfish than you might think, but I don't want to talk about that."

Turning to the table, filled with discarded plans, she has a small frown on her face. "I want to save one person's life, but saving her means keeping a lot of other people alive. I'm not really that noble."

She turns away, saying, "I wasn't really busy, but I do need to go hunting soon."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Then I won't ask," Runealy starts to offer... then blinks as Homura volunteers a small detail on the matter anyway. Surprise flickers on the alien princess' expression, easy to notice even as a flash of insight calms her down just a second later. "...Am I supposed to think less of you for that? So maybe you're not like the First Q--" A blunder, one Runealy quickly tries to change. "...Perhaps you aren't a hero right out of history, all polished and perfect for everyone to admire and want to grow up being just like you. But you're still saving them, right? Even if it's all for this 'one person'... it's not like you're going to turn around and kill everyone else after they're saved, are you? I don't think you would have told me that, if you had something horrible planned. So... hunting, you said."

"I know someone who can help with that, they know a lot about..." Runealy suddenly realizes Gaofele isn't exactly relevant here, "No, you mean a different kind of hunting, don't you. Can I go with you? I don't mind being used for the sake of that one person."

Homura Akemi has posed:
"I mean hunting Witches. Though from a certain perspective it's not that different from hunting for food."

Homura frowns slightly at the mention of being used. "Maybe you don't mind, but it's not like what I hope to do wont save a lot of other people, too. There are a lot of us with loved ones who could be hurt if we let the Witches live."

"I guess you could call it a mutually beneficial arrangement. You're right in saying that I have no intention of hurting anyone when I'm done." Well, assuming she doesn't turn into a Witch, but she'll cross that bridge when she gets to it.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"I guess I did phrase that pretty poorly, didn't I..." The Princess winces as she realizes how that came across. "I'm sorry. You're right on all of that... I'll say it properly this time." A pause, then, "May I go with you? Even after you've explained why you're doing this, I don't look down on you. It's not fair to talk down on your motives when compared to some ideal perfect hero, because your situation isn't ideal or perfect. From what I've been able to figure out, you're doing really well."

A single, slow nod. "I'd like to help you with that."

Homura Akemi has posed:
"I guess I just have a thing about making sure people don't get the wrong idea," says Homura, a bit apologetically. "A lot of us get roped into being a Puella Magi without fully understanding the consequences, and in the long run it causes us to suffer. I don't... want to do things like that."

Homura is a bit of a hypocrite in saying that, since even she isn't telling the full story, but she has her reasons.

"Alright. I'd like that. It'll be safer with the two of us, if you don't mind."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"I don't know if anyone can 'fully' understand it up front... but you sound like you're making a good effort of at least trying to get people informed. I thought about that, you know." Runealy shifts around to stand beside Homura, ready to follow her. "I thought about what sort of wish would be worth the 'price' you spoke of. Even after two days, I still don't know if I have a great answer for it. So... whether it's for your one specific person to live or lots of others to not suffer... thank you. Thank you for sharing all that with me. That's pretty brave."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Brave? Homura thinks about that word for a moment as she heads out the door, keeping a pace that Runealy could easily keep up with. She isn't sure how to respond to praise. Deep down she's still that shy girl who first made her wish, just with a lot of hard lessons piled on top of all that.

"Thanks for saying that," says Homura. It may not be the best response, but social skills was never one of the 'hard lessons' she's had to learn.

"As for what wish would be worth it... I'm satisfied with the wish I made. I guess that's the best anyone can hope for, in a situation like this."