1054/Out Of This World

Out Of This World
Date of Scene:	18 February 2016
Location:	Mitakihara - Downtown Neon District
Synopsis:	Madoka goes on her first real Witch hunt as a Puella Magi, and Homura comes along with her.
Cast of Characters:	Homura Akemi, Madoka Kaname

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Homura Akemi has posed:
    It's the afternoon, Infinity Middle has let out its classes, and two Puella Magi have left together to go hunt Witches together. Their hunting have taken them to the rooftops of the Neon District, where Homura is watching Madoka carefully. Since Madoka is new at this, Homura wants to make sure she has the skillsets needed to survive, so that means the task of tracking the Witch has fallen mostly to Madoka.

    Homura stands on the edge of the rooftop, foot on the ledge, as the wind blows her hair back. Her soul gem is on a ring in her finger, but she knows that she can henshin in less than a second if she needs to. Once in a while she looks over at Madoka, watching out for her and checking for common mistakes. She's seen Madoka fight before, true, but each timeline has differences, and Homura isn't sure where she's at this time around.

    Especially since Madoka does remember the other timelines now. How much did that experience transfer?

    Well, secretly, Homura is tracking. She's just not revealing anything unless Madoka misses the Witch she feels nearby.

    "Are you feeling anything with you Soul Gem? You remember the wave of despair that tends to accompany Witches. It feels kindof like that, except that you're is a lot more attuned to it now. It's... kindof like playing hot/cold?"

    Homura's intentionally hanging out on the edge of the Witch's aura, only edging towards it if Madoka misses it. It's close enough for Homura to feel. Is it close enough for Madoka?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    When school let out Madoka went to one of her clubs for about an hour, Gardening Club specifically. She blushes a bit when Homura follows along but doesn't object. There's a lot of moving flowers around, checking on things to make sure they're surviving the winter nicely, and a fair amount of poking around inside a greenhouse where even at the end of winter spring and summer flowers are blooming. She picks and gathers numerous flowers, chattering happily to Homura as she takes them to a small work table and bundles them together into small bouquets that will later be sold. Even clubs in fabulously wealthy schools are encouraged to self-fund to some degree.

    She's being sneaky though, and as she makes bundles she very slowly works on weaving other flowers together. Then, just after she finishes her actual work task the pink-haired girl smiles brightly to Homura and presents her with a wreath to wear on her head made up primarily of purple Morning Glories with little Forget-Me-Nots surrounding them and a few sprigs of Lavender. "Here you go, Homura-chan! I think it these will look much better on you than Spider Lilys "

    Later on the roof Madoka has her Soul Gem out in it's egg form, studying the twinkling Witch magic she can detect with it, acting as if she's playing a game of hot and cold as she moves around the roof. "I feel it, but this one is much harder to find... I could feel where you were right away. Do you think this one is much weaker? Or maybe it's much more interested in hiding..."

    She's seems fairly confused for a little bit, walking past Homura a few times before walking right up to the edge of the roof. "...oh! It's not up here at all, is it?" She hops up on to the ledge Homura has one foot on, thank goodness for magically improved balance, and leans forward a bit, peering out over the edge, "Is that it? Is it hiding down there?" she asks, pointing to the air a few stories down, in between the building their on and the one next to it.

    If Homura decided to ask Madoka would tell her the experience certainly did not transfer over, nor much of her actual memories. She was only able to experience those times that Homura was actually with her, and primarily those times that were tied to Homura's grief, whether it was her own death or the happy times that Homura wanted more of. Even more she didn't learn anything that wasn't related directly to Homura herself.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura happily follows Madoka around the gardening club, talking about this and that and suspecting nothing. As Madoka makes bouquets out of flowers, Homura admires her work for a moment before turning her attention back to Madoka. She doesn't even notice what Madoka is doing, distracted as she is by the sound of Madoka's voice and the exact tint of her eyes. When Homura is presented with the wreath of flowers.

    Promises, love, and faithfulness? She blushes at the present, and smiles at the meaning behind it. "Haha... yeah... I guess spider lilys don't really fit since we aren't really... seperated. Anymore."

    She places the wreath on top of her head, and works her ribbon around it so it will stay in place, adjusting it so that it looks just right.

    Homura leans in and hugs and kisses Madoka, pulling away to say, "Thank you, Madoka-chan. I think it's lovely." She holds onto Madoka's hand.

    On the roof, Homura watches as Madoka moves around, trying to find the Witch. "Well... I wasn't exactly trying to hide. My Witch reflected my mental state, so it's a bit different. Other Witches wont be so easy as that." When Madoka walks past Homura and points downwards, Homura nods. "That's right. It's there. You've got it!"

    Homura turns to the location that Madoka pointed at, and holds up her ring. "When you get better at it, you can detect Witches with your Soul Gem in ring form. It's just a matter of picking up on the subtle things."

    Homura smiles at Madoka. "You ready?" She jumps downwards, towards the wall of the next building over, and vanishes in mid-air. She's in the Labyrinth now. For some reason this entrance is floating.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka accepts the hug happily and accepts the kiss even more so, returning both before moving back to look at it. "I was right, it does look good on you. Flowers look even prettier when you're wearing them, Homura-chan."

    The meaning behind flowers chosen is pretty obvious if you know what they mean and the blushing makes Madoka reasonably sure that Homura does, making the smile she gives her just a little more bright.

    When Homura tells her she's right about the location of the Labyrinth entrance she smiles brightly, "I found it!" She feels like doing a pirouette but decides against it since she's standing on a relatively thin ledge. Madoka looks over at Homura's ring and gives a little nod, "I wonder how long that will take me. You have so much experience hunting Witches I'll probably never catch up to you," she notes thoughtfully. It isn't like Homura is going to stop gaining more. "But maybe I can get close!"

    Homura jumps into the Labyrinth and Madoka blinks, "W-wait for me!"

    It's a few moments before she appears. Madoka doesn't have quite the same confidence in her ability to henshin at a moment's notice, and so when she falls into the barrier she's already transformed and wearing her pink, white, and yellow dress.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    The Witches labyrinth is a little strange. It almost seems a bit comical, really. It looks like a cartoonized version of farmland, with rows of crops planted on exaggerated hills. There are houses off in the distance, or parts of houses, but they are either too small or cut in half or rendered unlivable in some way or another. There's only one building that looks like it's still functional: a red barn off in the distance.

    Homura lands on the top of a hill when she enters, and from there she can see that some of the crops have been flattened, creating intricate patterns that almost seem like letters. They're like crop circles, except in the shape of Witch runes.

    "Oh geeze," she mutters.

    When Madoka appears behind Homura, Homura turns to her. "Alright, so it looks like we've got a breather before the Familiars start showing up. You're already aware of how Labyrinths work, so instead I'm going to talk about threat assessment."

    Her voice takes on a serious tone as she speaks, and she reaches up behind her head to flip her hair. "Above all, you want to make sure you actually survive the fight. That means dodging and damage mitigation are your top priorities. After that, if you have an opening, then you shoot. We're both ranged fighters, so we can kite most melee enemies unless they are faster than us, but ranged enemies are always a threat. So dodge and take the ranged out while kiting the melee, and then take out the melee."

    She holds up a single finger to Madoka, making a point. "But remember, the more magic you use, the more at risk you are. The only creature you really need to slay is the Witch. Don't waste time on Familiars unless they are in your way."

    There's a lot she could info dump on Madoka, but it's best to focus on one lesson at a time. She leans in to hug Madoka before adding, "... and remember, if you get in trouble, I'm right here with you."

    Getting used to relying on a partner will be as much a lesson for Homura as Madoka, all things considered.

    The sky is grey and stormy above, and from the clouds descends several mysterious lights. They fly towards the two Puella Magi, and when they get close it becomes increasingly clear that they're flying saucers.

    Homura henshins immediately, raising a sniper rifle to start picking off the enemies as they approach. As the first few fall, more show up.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    There's a small cry from above as Madoka appears inside the Labyrinth and falls down towards Homura, her skirt poofing out behind her in it's intended fashion before she lands. She listens to Homura teach as she looks out across the cropland and a little frown forms on her face when she sees the runic crop 'circles'.

    "Get rid of the ranged ones first, or the most immediately threatening ones, and don't waste magic on ones that aren't a threat. Okay!" She hums a little bit and considers, "I don't think I have any tools for mitigating damage other than dodging and shooting down projectiles."

    Homura hugs her and Madoka leans in and pulls her close for a moment, "I'll do my best to cover you as well, Homura-chan." There's a line between relying on someone and forcing them to have to come save you constantly and Madoka is aware of that. She wants Homura to be able to rely on her also; she doubts she'll be a burden, but Homura's time stopping powers and experience in fighting witches means she'll have to work hard to contribute. Hard work, however, is not something Madoka is afraid of.

    "I think I know what this is," she eventually notes about the Labyrinth. It's hard to entirely miss the common conception of aliens when in America, after all. "If you see a creepy gray thing with a big eggshaped head and huge eyes that's probably the-" little flying saucers start descending out of the clouds and Madoka puts on a slightly pained, embarrassed expression, "Witch... Eheh."

    Manifesting her bow Madoka starts moving at a jog, somehow expecting those saucers to start shooting ray beams at them. She stops once or twice as she moves to send single arrows towards a few of the saucers that Homura doesn't shoot down, and starts trying to make her way towards the barn. Mostly because it's obvious; it might not be the right way.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "That's about the size of it, yeah." Homura nods. Madoka seems to get it well enough. "I didn't think you did. You don't in most timelines, but that's alright. If something needs to be tanked then I can handle that. I've got the shield after all." With a smile, Homura nods. "I know you will. You're still the Madoka who saved my life all those times before, so I believe in you."

    At the comment about the scenery, Homura nods. "So you've seen a theme like this before, huh? Yeah, it looks kindof like an alien theme. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some floating cows around."

    Madoka starts heading towards the barn, and Homura follows after her. As Madoka moves, she might notice that the hills move too, as if the ground were like an ocean and the hills were waves on it. Many of the saucer familiars fall from the combined fire of Madoka and Homura as the two Puella run through the fields together, but there's suddenly a lot of them..

    The flying saucers don't shoot destructo-beams yet, but instead when they near the ground they fire yellow beams towards the ground as chunks of dirt and vegetables begin to lift into the air. Tractor beams. The saucers get closer to the two Puella, and Homura starts using explosives to take several out at once. "Don't let them grab you!"

    As for the barn, well, Homura seems to agree that it's the place to go. At least, she's not raising any objection. It makes sense, right?

    Green zig-zaggy plasma bolts start coming at the two Puella Magi, and Homura jumps in front of the first such shot and holds up her shield, tanking the hit. "That didn't come from above... where...?" Homura looks around, seeing a trail of scorched holes through the crops. She sees flashes of little grey humanoid shapes running through tall corn. It seems like most of the shots are coming from them.

    "Tch! They're trying to surround us, and using the corn as cover." She starts considering her options. Jumping out is possible. Those saucers are actually low enough to be landed on. Timestoping away is also an option, since they need to get to the barn anyways.

    While thinking things over, she keeps her eyes on those moving grey figures, taking quick shots whenever she sees movement.

    Several of the flying saucers gather around Madoka, trying to catch her in their tractor beams while Homura is distracted with the greys.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka speeds up a bit as more and more saucers start to appear. When they start sucking up vegetables out of the ground she stares a bit dumbfounded for a moment. If it wasn't a Witch she'd almost be curious about what they were up to. Well, many familiars do have purposes inside their Labyrinths aside from attacking intruders.

    She starts taking her shots on the run rather than pausing for them, tripping a little as the ground starts to move beneath her feet. Even keeping on the move ends up with her starting to get overwhelmed. Homura breaks out the explosives and Madoka drops to one knee, charging a more powerful shot that ignites the flame atop her bow before sending a half dozen arrows at different familiars before moving back up and running forward.

    Homura's timely intervention and shield blocking prevents her from having to see how bad green alien ray guns hurt, "Thanks, Homura-chan!"

    As Homura considers their options Madoka runs over to one of the taller moving hills, staying beside it and trying to use it for cover on one side, firing her bow a few times into the corn at the hiding shapes inside before waving Homura to take refuge beside her. "Homura-chan, do you have anything that could set fire to all that corn? If they're hiding in there you could take them all out at once, or at least force them to run away!"

    Unfortunately her eyes are on the cornfields and not on the skies, so when the saucers fly over to her she doesn't notice, suddenly getting hauled up into the air by the beams. She lets out a panicked shout of, "Ahh!" and flails a bit in the air, limbs finding no purchase. She starts firing quickly at the saucers to free herself, but for a moment is a sitting duck for the plasma flinging familiars and anything more nefarious the saucers might have in store.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Why would they be gathering food? Who knows? Maybe they're home planet is starving, or maybe they're just grabbing everything and vegetables happened to be in the way. Either way, the saucer familiars that scoop up corn explode into popcorn when shot down, whether by Madoka's arrows or Homura's rockets.

    Homura stands next to Madoka when her girlfriend signals her over, and upon hearing her question she considers it. "We could do that, but what's bad for them is also bad for us. We better stay out of the fields if we do that."

    Then Madoka is drawn into the sky, and that settles the question for Homura. Sure, Madoka can take out the flying saucers herself, but leaving her vulnerable for that moment means that she's easy pickings for the greys. Instantly, the entire cornfield is on fire, the flying saucers are exploding, and Homura is flying through the air, catching Madoka and stopping time again.

    "It's getting a little too hot in there for my tastes," says Homura, running towards the barn in stopped time. She resumes when they get close to it, and sets Madoka down. "Maybe if all the familiars are over there, they won't notice us going for the Witch?" It might be wishful thinking to assume they'd be left alone, but for the moment the familiars aren't a problem right now. Homura turns towards the huge barn door, then side-glances sideways towards Madoka. "I think this is it, are you ready?"

    Strange sounds can be heard on the other side of the barn door. There's the constant, tense mooing of cows, the sounds of arcing electricity, something bubbling, and the sound of something thrashing about. Once in a while, the windows of the barn flash like lightning, and when they aren't flashing there's a strange dance of colored light.

    What is even going on in there?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is hanging in the air after flailing, drawing her bow to fire at one of the saucers, and then instantly everything is exploding around her, she's falling, and Homura is catching her, the cornfields are now raging fires. "Thank you, Homura-chan!" she says with a sound of relief.

    Once they land she keeps a firm hold on Homura's hand and runs beside her towards the barn. "It's might take them a little while to figure out where we went, if there's many of them left," she says while agreeing to the potentially wishful thinking. When they're at the barn door she starts to get a little nervous, not liking the sounds or the light coming out of it at all. "I suppose it'd be a waste of magic to blow the whole thing up from the outside..." she laments with a little sigh.

    There's a flash of lightning and thrashing and Madoka makes a little whimper and moves closer to Homura, hugging onto her arm for a moment. "I don't like this it all. This is too much like a scary movie. ...we're going to open that door and see something disgusting aren't we?"

    Still, facing fears is a part of the job when you're a Magical Girl, even if they're the jumpscare or grossout type that Madoka is susceptible too; getting shot at isn't as frightening as the worried anticipation of something about to happen. "Okay..!" she says, trying to psyche herself up, "Let's go in their and beat up that Witch!" With that she shoves open the door to the barn and steps inside.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "A waste? Probably. We only get one Grief Seed out of the deal, so it wouldn't be too wise to just throw magic around aimlessly." Homura smiles somewhat apologetically at Madoka. This is what a Puella Magi's duty is. When Madoka pulls close, Homura puts one hand on Madoka's hugging arm. "Well... it's a witch, so... maybe?" She doesn't really know what to expect. Witches tend to be a mix of things instead of one specific thing, so it's not always easy to see what the 'other thing' is.

    After Madoka psyches herself up and mentally prepares herself, Homura follows her into the barn door, happily sighing. Homura isn't really anticipating being bothered by whatever she sees in there, not really being the kind to be susceptible to horror movies.

    What Madoka and Homura see inside is... kindof gross? but also kindof... whimsical?

    The Witch itself is a giant brain in a jar, and it's easy to see that it's the Witch because that's where the focal point of most of the power is. The jar is full of green liquid, bubbling, and takes up half of the red barn.

    Long metal segmented arms come out of the base of the jar, and little claws on the ends of them reach out and grab the cows that are scattered around the barn floor. They moo in protest as the arms toss them into the air and catch them, over and over as if they're being... juggled?

    The barn is clearly bigger on the inside, and no matter how many cows are grabbed there always seem to be more of them.

    Shortly after the door is opened, the Brainwitch's arms start throwing cows at the two Puella intruders.

    The cows themselves are stylized, managing to look cute and sad at the same time.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    As Madoka steps inside she looks back to Homura and explains with a sigh, "If I'm going to be freaked out by something I want to bury my face in your shoulder and hide against you properly. But I can't do that if we're fighting a Witch; it's not fair! And a waste." So her reasoning is more whimsical itself, in the end.

    When she looks to the Witch her eyes widen a little, seeming somewhat confused. And then she notices the cows... being juggled. Oh god; that's adorable. Those poor cute cows.

    "Hey! Just because you're an alien brain in a jar doesn't give you the right to torment livestock... even if it's your own!" Is she trying to give a Justice Speech to a Witch? Maybe... or maybe she's just having fun.

    She even points dramatically, only to let out a squeal and jump away as the cow is launched at her. "That's horrible, they're your own familiars! How could you!" she further decries.

    She hops around back and forth, making slow progress towards the Witch, landing on one foot and then the other, hair and ribbons fluttering and swinging as she makes rapid direction changes. She hops up onto the edge of a hayloft, arms windmilling as she fights to keep her balance, only to have to dive off of it and info a pile of stylized hay as another cow flies at her, only to burst from it in a run with bits of hay stuck to her dress and in her hair, arms swinging out to her sides in her very girlish run as more cows are lobbed at her.

    The whole scene is ridiculous. She's running and bouncing around the barn, not yet having bothered to so much as fire a shot while dodging away from cows, screaming and squealing as if in fear... yet with the unmistakable sound of laughter beneath it.

    And yet she is making progress at getting closer to the Witch, and she might just be making such a scene of it to draw most of it's attention.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura giggles at Madoka's whimsical pouting. "Well, we could always stop time if we need emergency hugs. It's an option." Homura's only half kidding, which is to say that she isn't expecting to be taken up on it, but she totally would if Madoka seriously asked. Homura sees Madoka's confusion, asking, "What?" before opening the barn door further. "Oh my god."

    She snerks, covering her mouth. "Remember, don't lower your guard, even if it's silly! These things can still hurt you."

    Oh my god, Homura, you're starting to sound like Mami. Well on the bright side, Mami does give good advice.

    She doesn't comment on the justice speech, but hey. Madoka's a magical girl. She's going to need to learn to justice speech sooner or later. May as well practice on Witches.

    Homura watches as Madoka bounces around the barn, but not too closely because she still has to dodge the cows that are thrown at her. As Madoka gets closer and closer, more of the thrown cows are being focused on her, but at least she is following Homura's advice and putting survival first.

    For Homura, attacking is just a little bit easier. She timestops in order to launch several rockets at the jar, but also launches grenades at the cow-throwing arms. Hopefully if there are less arms, there will be less cows being thrown at Madoka.

    "Careful, Madoka! It's good that you're avoiding the enemy's attacks well, but the battle won't end unless you hit them back. Look for opportunities to shoot and take them! I'll back you up if you get in trouble."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Okay," Madoka says with a smile. She doesn't intend to use the option, but she is happy that it's there.

    "I'll remember!" Madoka calls out as she starts bouncing around the barn. Cows keep getting tossed at her, more and more as she starts getting closer. As she runs past a post holding up one of the haylofts she holds her hand out and grabs onto it swinging around it to change directions- she'd likely just have given herself some nasty slivers, but that's what gloves are for. Another cow is tossed at her and she drops to the ground, rolling quickly before popping back up to her feet and leaping up to a hayloft on the other side of the barn, moving just unpredictably enough to throw off the Witch's aim.

    The barn itself is getting trashed due to all the missed cows. Rockets impact the jar and Madoka calls out, "Got it!" to Homura as she advises her to be a bit more offensive. She manifests her bow again and starts plinking away as she dodges, leaning back like she's doing the limbo to avoid a cow that goes shooting over her and firing off a return shot with her bow. The next cow goes for her feet but this time she jumps flipping through the air and firing off another arrow, this one towards the arms, while upside down.

    She keeps at it, primarily focusing on closing the range, which might seem counterintuitive given her weapon and the talk Homura just gave her at the start, and avoiding cows, which takes up most of her attention. Eventually though she gets very close, close enough for the arms to make direct grabs at her, only to jump away towards one side of the barn. She jump off the side wall and does another flip, her intentions and strategy suddenly very clear as she grips her bow firmly and draws the magical string back far, leaving a trail of wafting, flamelike pink magic.

    Madoka lands on the Witch itself, planting her bowed red shoes right on top of the jar. Her bow is almost fully drawn, held low in her left hand while her right is up past her head. She's aiming straight down. "Your bovine juggling days are over!"

    She fires, sending a powerful barrage of glittering pink arrows at the Witch from point blank range.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura doesn't quite catch onto what Madoka's doing, but then again it's been awhile since she's seen the pink Puella fight. All Homura remembers is that Madoka tends to know what she's doing despite being new, so she suppresses her habit of fretting over the pink-haired girl. Well, tries to anyways. Old habits are hard to break.

    Madoka deftly stays ahead of the cows, moving just quickly enough to frustrate and distract the Witch. Homura is glad that Madoka never takes a hit from the cow-throwing monster, and she'd gladly bring the universe to a halt to stop that from happening. Madoka just never makes it necessary.

    Homura's own attacks manage to crack the glass jar, but not breaking it. She smiles as Madoka starts being a bit more offensive. "Good! Keep that up, Madoka-chan!" Homura wouldn't want Madoka to rely too much on Homura after all, just in case Madoka has to handle a Witch by herself at some point.

    Homura herself keeps whittling away at the arms and glass jar. More arms grow to replace the ones she shoots down, but the jar itself cracks more and more. Homura's attention is halfway on Madoka and halfway between the fight, but when Madoka lands on top of the jar, Homura starts to get it.

    "Go for it, Madoka-chan!" she shouts, as the bow is drawn back, and the pink arrow fires straight down into the Brainwitch. The Witch's scream is inhuman, and the massive creature explodes into a shower of cowbells and rayguns.

    The Labyrinth wavers and fades away. The two girls reappear on the sidewalk, and the Grief Seed drops to the ground between them.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka closes her eyes for a moment as the Witch screams out its last moment of rage, caught up in the thankfully harmless explosion, her bangs thrown upward by the force of the blast.

    She can feel the Labyrinth disappearing even though her eyes are closed, and a sudden upwelling of joy surges in her as she proves capable enough of fighting a Witch with the help of Homura.

    As soon as her footing is found she launches herself like a missile at Homura, literally sideways with her arms outstretched and giving a, "Yaaaaaay!" as she crashes into the purple Puella from the side, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. "I did it! I did it, Homura-chan! Did you see me?!" She hugs her girlfriend close, giggling and laughing and wiggling all over her, squeezing her tightly with her arms and kicking her legs, possibly making Homura carry her weight as she lifts them both at once- assuming she stayed on her own.

    "I really did it! We fought a Witch together and we won! And even though you had to save me neither of us got hurt!" More laughing from the pink-haired girl as she nuzzles against Homura, the grief seed completely forgotten by her for the moment with all of her attention on celebrating with her girlfriend.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura breathes out a sigh of relief as the Witch dies and Madoka doesn't. This makes two Witch fights that Madoka has survived as a Puella Magi. Which is two more than she did last time. It then sinks into Homura that this is real, this is happening, and while there's some concern about Madoka being a Puella again, Homura's fighting alongside her and they get to be together.

    It makes her happy in ways that Homura can't really explain. She looks down and away, and her expression might actually be mistaken for sadness, but it's just been... so long. So. So. Long.

    Her thoughts distract her long enough for the Madoka Missile to catch her off her guard, arms easily wrapping around Homura as Madoka happily hugs and jumps up and down. Homura smiles, remembering for a moment the first time Madoka did something like this. The roles were very much reversed back then, but the sentiment is the same.

    Her smile is content, and her joy is a bit reserved (especially compared to Madoka), but there's a sweetness in her voice when she says, "You did! You were really good, Madoka-chan!" Homura doesn't mind carrying Madoka's weight, and she wraps her arms around her excited girlfriend, in a loose hug so that Madoka can wiggle around as much as she wants to.

    Homura happily sighs, nostalgia mixing in with a hope for the future.

    Her eyes go towards the Grief Seed. She can't really grab it when she's got an armful of excited Madoka, and she doesn't want to interrupt her girlfriend's celebration, but she's paying attention to it. She's pretty sure she could grab it before, say, someone else swooped in to steal it, but something inside of her just cannot lower her guard no matter how happy she is.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is a pink ray of sunshine beside Homura, laughing and giggling happily as she squeezes and hugs on her friend, rocking her back and forth in her completely unreserved display of joy.

    Mami might chastise her, as Homura did earlier about not shooting back, for having a bit too much fun while fighting that Witch. But Mami isn't here, and so long as she doesn't actually lose her focus or get hurt while doing it Madoka can't see why it's such a bad thing.

    Moving around like that, jumping and flipping and dodging, it would have been impossible before she became a Puella Magi, and it's exciting. But more importantly while jumping around and having fun she was protecting people; there's no doubt in her mind that if that Witch hadn't been destroyed it would have gone on to kill people.

    She'd have a seriously hard time coming up with anything she'd rather be doing if she didn't have a girlfriend.

    "Hehe, thank you! You were really amazing too, Homura-chan! I might have been in a lot of trouble, but you swooped in and saved me just like that. You can be very dashing," Madoka compliments. Holding her loosely seems to be a good idea because Madoka makes ample use of the wiggle room granted to her, hopping some more and bumping into Homura as she moves in for a close squeezing hug, only to lift her feet full of the ground, tightening her hold around her shoulders to swing off of her playfully.

    Eventually she calms down a little and lets out a happy sigh of her own. She looks into Homura's eyes, catches where her gaze is directed, and all of a sudden plants her feet and leans back, lifting Homura off the ground for just a moment and swinging her a slight bit. She tries to set her down on one foot before the other, swinging her hips and swaying a little, sliding a hand down Homura's arm and taking it to try and lead her into an impromptu dance.

    A dance that, if Homura follows her lead, will draw them over to the grief seed, at which point she giggles, "Dip me!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura watches Madoka, listening to her laugh and giggle. She can't help but smile as Madoka is celebrating next to her, and while there are things that Homura will naturally worry about, she has faith in her friend. Besides, they won, and while someone might complain to Homura about 'post facto justification', she actually considers that to be a valid way of looking at things.

    After all, you can only fairly judge actions by the results they bring. Anything else is weird and arbitrary to her. They won, and did it without getting hurt, so they not only did good enough they actually did very well. For all Homura knows, Madoka might actually be less effective if she can't get into it, so what good would that be?

    Besides, the children of predatory animals tend to play with each other in order to learn how to hunt, so playing is a necessary part of learning. As much as Homura thinks she's better off living a more 'honest' magical girl lifestyle, she still can't avoid thinking of herself as a carnivore.

    Homura smiles at Madoka's compliment. "Well, I'm always happy to protect you. I always have been." She blushes as Madoka calls her dashing, because she knows how Madoka feels now and knows that she really means it when she says things like that. "Thank you, Madoka-chan. You're amazing too, in more ways than I can say."

    Homura enjoys the tight hug, holding onto Madoka in turn as she jumps happily into the air. When Madoka does calm down, Homura holds even more tightly. Then Homura blushes as she's suddenly lifted into the air and swung around, giggling as Madoka sets her down and starts leading her.

    Homura follows Madoka's lead, happily, dancing with her and swaying her hips to the beat of an unheard song. She starts humming along, providing just a little bit of music to their dance.

    When Madoka asks to be dipped, Homura says, "Gladly!" She leans forward, putting her arm behind Madoka's waist and dipping her backwards. Like this, she takes the opportunity to kiss her girlfriend, because why not?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Getting into it does help. Whether it helps more than a situation being direly serious and demanding her focus does would be hard to say. Do the ends justify the means when it comes to having fun while hunting Witches? A hotly debated question. In past timelines Sayaka was much berated for fighting for the cause of justice- but then those concerns largely proved to be correct.

    The dangerous thing about fighting while having fun might be the same issue as fighting for justice- when that motivation is gone the ability to continue on might disappear, and without it the Puella may fall into despair. But Madoka by this point has certainly proven that being thrust into awful, painful situations doesn't break her will.

    As for magical girls being carnivorous? If any can claim to be so, it's certainly Puella Magi. Hunting dangerous foes, requiring the 'corpses' of their prey to survive, hotly contesting one another for the best territory. Perhaps one might even call them wild animals; though in this much changed timeloop they are proving able to be much more civilized.

    Madoka smiles as Homura blushes, squeezing into her and nuzzling when the a compliment is given to her in return. "Thank you, Homura-chan."

    The dance steps are followed, and it doesn't take many steps for the two of them to fall into the same beat despite the lack of music. When Homura starts humming she makes the path a little more meandering, smiling happily when she is dipped, only to smile wider as she feels lips pressing to her own, closing her eyes and pressing her own back against Homura's.

    She breaks the kiss, letting go of Homura's hand and leaning much father back as she's dipped. her body a perfect arch as she reaches down and pinches the Grief Seed on the ground between her fingers. She draws it up and presses it to her Soul Gem while still leaning back, giving Homura a perfect view of her as her Soul Gem is returned to a pure, gleaming pink.

    Only then does she lift back up, her grip on Homura loosening to something more casual than the formal dances they're used to, though she still sways a little, holding the Grief Seed between them and offering it forward. "Partners, right? So of course we share." She doesn't know if Homura needs it right now, but either way she wants to make that gesture.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura happily enjoys dancing with her girlfriend. There will never be a moment when Homura doesn't enjoy doing this kind of thing with Madoka.

    Homura holds Madoka as she dips all the way back, smiling as Madoka reaches for the Grief Seed. When she obtains it, Homura holds her still, not lifting up until Madoka does. Madoka is the one leading this dance, after all. When they are both standing, Homura reaches up to touch Madoka's Soul Gem, petting it with a single finger. Morbid, maybe, but it's Madoka-chan's soul. Homura can't help but adore it.

    When the Grief Seed is offered to her, Homura accepts it. "Of course we're partners, which means we'll share these." Homura did use a bit of her magic during that fight, even if they didn't get hurt. She is a bit cautious considering that she did turn into a Witch recently. She raises her hand, where her Soul Gem rightfully sits. She's not hiding it anymore.

    She presses the Grief Seed against the purple diamond, draining a bit of darkness out. Ger Soul Gem gleams brilliantly purple, and she hands the Grief Seed back to Madoka."It should be good for a little bit more. I still have part of the one from my new house. We should make sure we both have some of these. Just to be safe."

    She leans into Madoka again, holding her in a tight hug. "As long as we get those faster than we spend them, we'll be alright. I also recommend getting spares in case you need to stop something that isn't a Witch, too, and don't forget to give it to Kyubey when it's used up."

    She rocks back and forth while holding Madoka, pausing for a moment. "Of course... we don't have to go fighting again right now. Unless you want to? Fighting Witches is important, but so is pacing yourself."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's cheeks color as Homura pets her Soul Gem, keeping a bit of distance between them as she sways so she can touch the Soul Gem's smooth surface as much as she likes. She lets out a soft giggle, not seeming to find it morbid at all.

    Homura taps her Soul Gem against the Grief Seed and Madoka watches as the gem shines brightly again. She moves her hand, catching the bottom of Homura's fingers with her own while palming the Grief Seed, pressing a little kiss to her knuckles and then another small one to the beautiful purple gem on the back of her hand.

    She slips the Grief Seed into a pocket, giving a bright smile to Homura as she's pulled into a hug. "Now that I have a Soul Gem I can be on the lookout for Witches. I'll do my best to stop them if I sense one." Not just because of the Grief Seeds of course, but that is the reason they're talking about it now. "Thanks for looking out for me, Homura-chan. It's good to have reminders," she notes. Of course Homura is going to want to do her best to keep Madoka informed, but by the same token of course Madoka is going to be grateful for it.

    The pink-haired girl makes a soft hum as she rocks from side to side in Homura's arms. "That's true, we could keep looking, but we don't have to. Is there something else you'd like to do instead, Homura-chan?" She gives a little tilt of her head, closing her eyes briefly.

    Her hands slide from Homura's back to trace down her sides, squeezing a bit at her waist and holding her there for a moment. Then Madoka trails her fingers over the hemline of her girlfriends jacket, "I've always liked your outfit, Homura-chan. I think it really suits you well. A lot of it is really clean cut and almost formal." She traces along the bottom edge a little more, only to tease at the ribbon tails behind her. "But it's also really pretty," she can't help giggling as she brushes her fingers gently over Homura's skirt, feeling the fabric while trying not to be too mischievous about it, "and girly, too!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    A warm redness plays with Homura's cheeks as her knuckles are kissed, and then her Soul Gem. Homura nods as Madoka agrees to be on the lookout for Witches. "Don't be afraid to call me if you need help, but I've seen you excel in other timelines, so I'm not too worried. I just... well... haha, you know me." She scratches the back of her head. She worries a lot, and even in this timeline she's lost friends in the blink of an eye.

    "I'm happy to look out for you, Madoka-chan. This is dangerous work, and you mean a lot to me." Still, as much as Homura never realized it, this is also Madoka's calling. Without this, she isn't confident, and not nearly as happy as she should be.

    "I can teach you more later, about how to use your Soul Gem to modify your body and about other things like that... but that kind of thing is difficult to describe. There aren't really easy words for it. A lot of magic is intuitive, and even if you know how your powers work you can still learn new things about them. For example, it took me a long time before I learned how to use magical blasts. Which is why learned to I rely on guns, really."

    Homura has never actually had to do this kind of thing before, compartmentalize all of the stuff she knows into evenly divided subjects. It's kind of weird to think about. Tactics, strategy, tricks, non-obvious spells, and so on... Sure, she's looked out for people before, but this is different. She wants to make sure that Madoka has every advantage that she can get.

    Homura is pulled away from that line of thought by the way Madoka is holding her, touching her, and speaking to her. "Well... we could grab something to eat, maybe?"

    Madoka's hands slide down her back, and Homura gets a little nervous. It's not that she minds, but... still! Madoka talks about Homura's outfit, admiring it, and Homura enjoys the attention. "You like it? Really?" Formal, clean cut... girly? Well, it's true that it's all of those things. "Well, if you think it's cute, maybe we can take pictures like this, then! If you wanted..." Something about Madoka just always manages to bring out a hint of Homura's past self.

    Then a lightbulb turns on over her head, and she says, "Oh! We should..." She reaches behind Madoka and into her shield, pulling out a cell phone. She holds it away from the two of them, pointing the camera at them and smiling. "We should take a picture of this moment! Because... it's our first time going out as magical girls together!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka giggles at the redness on Homura's cheeks and she nods a little, "I know. If I think I need help you'll be the first person I call, Homura-chan, because I know I can count on you. Knowing you worry about me just lets me know how much you care."

    Several types of magic are described to her and Madoka listens attentively even as she holds close to her girlfriend and sways with her. "Modify your body- you mean like how you healed your eyes and your heart?" she asks curiously, nodding along at the mention of making magic blasts.

    On the other hand Madoka has almost always had a lot of help learning to be a proper Puella Magi. Most timelines had her learning from Mami, and the first ones she was practically learning right alongside Homura. Still considering her powerset 'shoot things with magic and don't get hit' isn't exactly the most complicated thing to learn.

    "Getting something to eat sounds good! I already told Mama and Papa not to expect me in time for dinner tonight." Which admittedly is starting to be the case more nights than not. Ah, the joys of having teenaged children.

    Madoka giggles a tiny bit as her fingering of Homura's outfit makes her girlfriend a little nervous. A -little- nervous is fine, right? Besides, she really is just admiring her look. "Yes! I think it looks good on you. It captures a lot of your sides. You're a very faceted person, Homura-chan," she says, meaning it as a compliment.

    She nods happily to the mention of pictures, and then beams a bright smile when her phone is pulled out. "Good thinking, Homura-chan! We really should commemorate this with a picture!" When the phone is held up and away Madoka leans her head in towards Homura, holding one hand up and making a V sign with her fingers, only to lean in and nuzzle against her girlfriends cheek after the (first?) picture is taken.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura smiles and kisses Madoka on the nose. She's happier knowing that if Madoka needs help, she'll at least be informed. Then she nods as Madoka talks about her heart and eyes. "Yeah, that's right. You get a certain amount of basic... I guess you could call them 'upgrades' to your agility when you first get your Soul Gem, but if you have physical faults like that then you can use your magic a bit more to get rid of them... not that I've ever known you to have anything like that. You might be able to use it to get over illness quickly, though. Really, it's an extension of the healing that your Soul Gem does to your body anyways."

    Homura is kind of rambling and she knows it, but it's not like it isn't important. While it's true that Madoka had a trainer in previous timelines, usually that trainer was Mami, who has successfully produced such students as Kyouko and Homura. For Homura, it's a new experience, and she wants to get it right.

    Homura giggles, "This is a pretty regular occurrence for us, isn't it? It's probably better if they're used to it though, because there's no telling when you'll need to run off and handle something. So... let's see. Where to eat. Hmm."

    Homura looks around at the various lights of the Neon District and taps her chin. They already had pizza the other day. Night clubs and bars... aren't interesting to Homura, and are probably less fun for Madoka since she doesn't drink. (Homura saw her avoiding those punch bowls!) "We haven't done karaoke in a while," she muses out loud, "if you'd like to do that again. The Karaoke Crown should be somewhere nearby."

    Homura blushes as Madoka compliments her. "You're so sweet to me, Madoka-chan." She reaches down to Madoka's poofy dress, patting it down a bit. "I like your henshin, too. It's so cute, and very you." It's no coincidence that the cake in Homura's Labyrinth was pink and white, though it missed the yellow part of Madoka's henshin.

    Homura snaps the picture, making sure that the V gets in the frame, and then looks at it more closely and giggles. "That's one picture for our album!" Madoka nuzzles against her cheek, and Homura nuzzles back, rubbing her nose against her. "I love you, Madoka-chan."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Even when Homura thinks she's rambling Madoka is listening attentively. She likes talking with Homura, and even just hearing Homura talk. It doesn't bother her at all if she gets a bit caught up or involved in what she's saying, doing her best to nod and make little sounds to let Homura know she's paying attention, though the fact her pink eyes are focused on Homura's purple ones are a pretty good indicator. Though maybe not; she could probably get lost in them and get distracted easily enough if she let herself.

    "It is... but if I'm going to be a Magical Girl it's probably a good thing that they're used to me having to be doing things a lot more. Even when I'm spending the night with you I let them know I'm staying with a friend. I... don't always tell them who but I think they know it's usually with you." Madoka giggles a little.

    Then Karaoke is brought up again and she cheers, "Yes, I love Karaoke, that's a great idea Homura-chan!" She tilts her head this way and that, "If you'd be more comfortable we could get a private booth too, that way we could sing as much as we want and only listen to songs we like." She leans in conspiratorially and whispers, "It's also nice and private for snuggling and kissing!"

    She looks very happy when Homura pets her dress and compliments it. "I'm glad you like it. Really! It's really important to me that it's cute." She did, after all, design it well before she got her henshin! In this timeline, anyway. Seriously though, the outfit almost never changes- it really is her.

    Madoka pokes her nose into Homura's cheek, and then giggles and rubs the tip of it against hers, leaning in to rest her forehead against her girlfriends and then stare into her eyes. "I love you, Homura-chan, and I love being with you. You make me so happy."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura nods in agreement as Madoka says that her parents will probably have to get used to it. Then she pauses to think about what Madoka tells her parents when she spends the night at Homura's. "Eventually... I guess they'll have to meet me. I mean... they'd probably feel better if they know who you're staying with."

    It crosses Homura's mind that she could've easily died without seeing Madoka's parents in this timeline. Well, that's not going to be a problem now. "I've never had trouble getting along with your mother before, but... it might be different this time around because I'm your girlfriend." Oh geeze, and they had a fight recently. Well, they're getting along just fine now, anyways.

    "I remember the first time I snuck into your room. Around Christmas. I thought Mamo-kun was dead then and I brought you a present." Homura snaps her fingers, "Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot. Mamoru-kun is fine now, by the way. He's not brainwashed or scary anymore. There was a fight. Sailor Moon healed him. He's in hiding now.

    Madoka likes the idea of Karaoke, and Homura smiles. "Alright, let's go do that!" Homura isn't sure what Madoka means by a private booth, since Homura actually doesn't have that much performance anxiety (not like last time) but the moment snuggling and kissing is brought up she nods enthusiastically. "Oh, right! Of course!"

    Homura giggles. "You know, in a lot of timelines, I see you drawing pictures of that. I think you're usually afraid to show me, since... well... you know. I still notice it sometimes, though."

    Homura looks into Madoka's eyes, smiling and holding her hand as she starts to walk towards the Karaoke bar. "I'm so lucky, to have a girlfriend like you. I couldn't ask for anyone better. I'm glad I make you happy. You make me happy too, Madoka-chan."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "They should meet you. Especially-" she pauses. Madoka's eyes peek away before looking back into Homura's, a warm flush on her cheeks, "Especially now that I don't expect I'll ever want to date anyone else." It feels like a very bold thing to say, especially when they haven't even yet had their one month anniversary. And yet... they've been through so much together, and Homura means so much to her that she literally consigned her soul in order to save her. Even if the romance burned out she knows now what Homura meant when she said it wouldn't be fair to anyone else if she tried dating them; they could never be the most important person to her.

    Madoka actually doesn't know what her parents are -usually- like around people she's dating. "I don't think you should get along with them any worse. I'm sure they see how happy I am when I'm with you, and how sad I was when I wasn't. Mama was pretty harsh on Takashi-kun, but that's because of that silly necklace he gave me. Other than talking to him about that I think they were really nice to him. I don't see why they wouldn't be nice to you!"

    Madoka smiles when Homura talks about sneaking into her room, because the first thing she thinks of is Matilda and the second thing she thinks of is cuddling with Homura. It really was very nice even without her being her girlfriend. Her attention is quickly pulled by something else though when Homura tells her about Mamoru. "He is? She did?!"

    Madoka leans forward and squeezes Homura tightly at the news, twisting from side to side again, "That's so good to hear! Not that he's in hiding of course. It'd be very nice to be able to see him, but I wouldn't want to give him away. I bet he could use some home cooking if he's being hidden away somewhere!" Naturally she means her fathers, not her own. Her own home cooking includes recipes for microwave dinners and watermelon sherbet.

    Having only gone to Karaoke with Homura once she isn't in a very good position to know the anxiety was a one time thing. But really the other reasons are the best reasons for getting a private booth.

    Homura mentions her drawings and Madoka turns red, "R-really? So you already know what it'd look like. I have a bunch of drawings in one of my school notebooks. Eheheh..."

    She follows Homura hand in hand as her girlfriend starts towards the Karaoke bar and in a spray of pink sparkles she lets her henshin vanish, leaving her in her school clothes. Normally Madoka intentionally avoids circular, bragging conversation but she feels happy enough and playful enough to indulge this time. "Hmm! You're lucky to have a girlfriend like me... but I'm even luckier to have a girlfriend like you!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura blushes at what Madoka says, but she's not surprised by it. Her response is sincere and serious, though it's still kindof bold for her to say it, too."Honestly... I don't really want to date anyone else either. I mean... I just... after all this time I don't think I could ever love someone like I love you." Homura sold her soul for Madoka, and in many ways Madoka sold her soul for Homura many times. This last time, Madoka even knew exactly what that meant, and Homura found out exactly how Madoka felt about her.

    "Besides that, why would I kiss with anyone else when I could kiss you?" She giggles for a moment, before her tone gets more serious. "... but yeah. I'd like to meet them. I don't expect that Junko-san will give me any problems, especially now that I'm not... trying to downplay how I feel about you. I wouldn't be as sure as I am, if I hadn't loved you for so long."

    Homura smiles and nods to confirm it. "Yeah, that's right. He's in his right mind now, He's in a safe place that's protected by magic, so the enemy can't get to him. I guess if we wanted to hang out with him we'd have to go there." Giving away his location? Hmm. "Well, it's not quite like that. The enemy probably can guess where he is. They just can't do anything about it because of the magical defenses it has. On the other hand, he can't leave without making himself vulnerable... which means that woman would try to grab him again." Homura shivers visibly. Beryl gives her the chills and makes her a bit sick in her stomach.

    "Still though. I don't know if visitors would really be okay. I guess I'd have to ask."

    Homura glances sideways at Madoka, raising an eyebrow. Then she smiles and shakes her head. "I was really keeping you away from something you wanted, wasn't I? Here I thought I was doing you a favor... but I think you're still better off knowing what you were getting into when you made the contract. I did protect you from getting tricked, if you want to be technical, so it wasn't a waste."

    Madoka lets her henshin fade, and Homura's fades along with it. Homura flips her hair back, and winks at Madoka. "You do have a lovely girlfriend, but I still think I'm luckier."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka smiles, leaning in to hug Homura again. She knows exactly what she means by that, and she agrees. "That's why I'll always be your little angel, Homura-chan." And after saying that how could she not leaning in just a bit more to kiss her sweetly on the lips?

    The question gets a giggle in return and causes Madoka to kiss her a second time, though a bit more playfully. "Hmm... that's true." Madoka replies in a serious tone, "Maybe... it's a good thing you didn't meet her until now. She, um.... Well, Mama is very good at reading people!" She giggles, expecting Homura to know exactly what she means, since it was a response to her talking about hiding her feelings before.

    Her head tilts a little when Homura mentions Mamoru being in a magically protected place, one pink pigtail hanging lower than the other. "Really? I would like to see him, but not if it meant putting him in any kind of danger." Homura mentions 'that woman' and shivers, and Madoka has no idea who she means. Even so she hugs her girlfriend around the shoulders and tries to comfort her.

    "Because I asked you to..." Madoka reminds gently, not wanting Homura to blame herself for that even a little. That's something she feels very bad about herself, even now. "But... it is something I wanted, yes. Maybe not this specifically, but being able to protect people... I told you about that during the New Years dance, didn't I? Sometimes when I was very happy I thought that was the kind of thing I'd want to protect." It puts a smile on her face because she leans her face in close to Homura and says in a sugary sweet voice, "Being with you is the kind of thing I want to protect, always!"

    She lifts up a hand and cups her girlfriend's face gently, "Nothing you did was a waste. I'm grateful for everything. You helped make me the person I am now, and I'm so happy!" She follows this up by shaking her head, "Uh-uh, I'm the luckiest!" Her hand reaches up and she flips one of her fluffy pigtails, which bounces up before flopping back down. It looks very silly, which was exactly the intent. She giggles playfully.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura leans in as Madoka draws closer for a kiss, meeting her girlfriend's lips with her own. "My sweet little angel." Confessing was awkward at first... but she's glad she's done it now. She couldn't imagine going this long without saying something. Even if their romance did go out, she'd still have a strong attachment to Madoka. There's no fighting that.

    Homura giggles. "Your mother would've figured me out in one look, I bet. There's no fooling her, and I wouldn't have tried. I'm not sure what I would've done in that situation, though." She leans over to hug Madoka. "Still, I think it'd be a good time, if you wanted to do that. I'd like to meet them. I can't really return the favor as easily, though I guess you've already spoken to my mother on the phone once. Sortof."

    Madoka says she'd like to meet Mamoru. Homura nods. "I'll ask, then. Most of the people involved know you, but I don't think most of them know that you're a magical girl yet."

    Homura nods, "Yeah, you asked me to. In a very specific situation where things went terribly wrong and you had to shoot down a friend. Most of those problems... we managed to avoid this time around. Even if my handling of some matters was clumsy, it worked, which is better than what I could say about every other timeline." She shrugs. "I can't really blame you for wanting me to avoid that."

    Homura nods, and thinks back that that dance with a smile. "Well, you do get to defend things like that now. Really, I guess that's what we're fighting for, as Puella, isn't it? More time, to make memories like that." She hugs Madoka again, after she says she wants to protect 'being with her'. "I want to protect that too, Madoka-chan. Being with you, I mean."

    Homura giggles at Madoka's pigtail flip, reaching up to flip the other pigtail. "You really are the best thing that's ever happened to me." She reaches down to take Madoka's hand, and leans in to give Madoka a kiss.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    A giggle and a nod, "She would have. But now it's fine if she takes one look at us together and figures us out. I think she'll be happy for me, but I'm a little worried she won't be able to understand why I'd care about you so much so suddenly." It wasn't sudden at all when you consider the broad span of time Homura had spent trying to save her. Even then, falling in love when young isn't exactly the most surprising thing is it? "I would like you to meet them, though, Homhom-chan."

    She doesn't say anything to perpetuate the conversation about what caused he to ask Homura to make such a difficult promise. Everything Homura says is true, but that's all in the past now and a part of it best not dwelled upon, even if not forgotten.

    "I'm going to make lots more happy memories with Homura-chan!" She declares, snuggling into the hug that she's given. "That's what makes us so good together, we agree on so much. Especially about spending time together~!" Her other pigtail is flipped and Madoka giggles, interlacing her fingers with Homura's and accepting the kiss happily. She blushes a little and when the kiss is broken she presses two of her own to Homura's lips, one after the other. She peeks coyly into Homura's eyes, looking to be on the verge of trying to see how long she can kiss her without breathing when her stomach rudely interrupts by grumbling.

    Her face turns very red and she tries to hide it by looking down at the ground, "I-I guess that means we should go get that dinner!" Luckily the Karaoke bar is right there, and she speeds up a bit to lead Homura inside.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "That's one thing I won't really be able to explain to her either." Homura scratches the back of her head. "... but we were friends for a months before we were dating, so... there's that at least..." At the mention of the pet name that her mother calls her by, Homura snort-giggles. "Alright. Then let's start planning on that. Sometime soon."

    Homura nods enthusiastically. "We should. We should make lots of happy memories together. Memories we'll cherish forever. I mean... we may as well make the most of it, right?"

    '... we agree on so much. Especially about spending time together~!'

    "We do! We also agree on cuddling and kissing. We always have, really." After all, those were two of their favorite things to do together.

    Speaking of, Homura enjoys each kiss she's given, one after another, and she doesn't once pull away until Madoka does. She can breathe through her nose if she needs to! When Madoka's stomach rumbles, Homura's so deeply in her happy place that she doesn't even notice right away. When she does, she covers her mouth to stifle a giggle.

    "Well, let's go get food, then!" Tugged along by Madoka, Homura speeds up alongside her, smiling brightly as she accompanies her girlfriend to the Karaoke bar.