1168/01 D-Point: Walking In A Winter Wonderland

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01 D-Point: Walking In A Winter Wonderland
Date of Scene: 07 March 2016
Location: North Pole
Synopsis: Homura and Madoka get seperated from the rest of the party by a blizzard, and use a timestop to get out of the storm. Along the way, they have a chance to talk.
Cast of Characters: Homura Akemi, Madoka Kaname
Tinyplot: D-Point


Homura Akemi has posed:
    Moments after a deep freeze had taken over much of Tokyo, Sailor Mercury sent out texts to every magical girl she knew, saying that the time to strike at the heart of the Dark Kingdom was now. Whether Madoka got a text from Mercury directly, or she learned about it through Homura or someone else, both Madoka and Homura are trying to make their way through a terrible blizzard at the North Pole.

    Homura is in henshin, but the only way to tell is that her shield is over her winter garb. She's dressed warmly for this weather, a violet woolen coat over her henshin, a hood covering her head, black gloves over her hands, and goggles over her eyes. She's wearing a pair of cross-country skis, trying to make her way from hill top to hilltop as she tries to head towards the caves that mark their destination.

    The temperature is well below freezing, and Homura actually checked the weather report for the North Pole (yes, there is one) and found that the temperature would range between -19 and -29 degrees Celsius (or -2 to -38 degrees Fahrenheit). It's not the kind of weather that one takes lightly, though their henshins will protect them from a lot of the cold.

    Homura and Madoka arrived with everyone else after a short briefing by Sailor Mercury, but it wasn't long at all before a blizzard picked up and separated most of the group. By the time it got bad enough that Homura decided to timestop, everyone else was too scattered for them to be gathered up, and Homura couldn't reliably escort everyone through the blizzard via timestop. Bigger groups tied together mean slower progress, and slower progress means less magic for Homura. She'd just have to take one person who wouldn't slow her down much and hope the rest will make it on their own. If Madoka and Homura could just make it to the caves, maybe they could wait for others to show up.

    Homura's gloved hand is firmly around Madoka's, and the two of them walk through a time-frozen snow storm. Colors are muted, and flakes hang in the air until one the two Puella walk into them. Normally the raging of the storm would overwhelm any attempts to speak, but with time frozen as it is the two of them can talk normally.

    Homura is being kind of quiet. She's focused on her mission, both to make it to the enemy and also to keep Madoka safe.
Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It didn't take much convincing to get Madoka to come along to take the fight to the people who had made her think Mamoru was dead, and had in reality brainwashed both him and Kyouko. Those two deeds were only the ones most personal to her when there had no doubt been countless others, and even just those had caused enormous pain and suffering to Madoka and her friends, like large ripples spreading across the surface of a pond. If now was the time to strike and she could be of assistance she most certainly was going to be there.

    Madoka had come in her henshin as well, wearing a large white coat over the top along with a pink scarf about her neck. Her usual white stockings have been covered up with thick wool leggings. She's thankful magic shoes can remain comfortable even when you're wearing overly thick socks! Don't ask how she's managing to tie her red shoes onto cross-country skis; magic is the only reasonable answer here. She has to maintain some of her usual cuteness, after all. She's a Magical Girl!

    She had listened carefully at the meeting, not really knowing very much about what had been going on with the Senshi and their great enemy. Unfortunately before she can learn very much at all beyond 'evil sun monster is evil' a blizzard sweeps in, sending snow everywhere and winds strong enough to make Madoka want to close her eyes against it. She's beginning to wish she'd brought some ski goggles as well.

    She fumbles about and tries to remain with the group and doing an only marginal job of it, when suddenly the raging wind and driving snow stops, feeling Homura's hand on her.

    Her own glove is her usual one as she holds Homura's hand, walking alongside her. For a while she respects Homura's silence, thinking she might be doing some important planning and thinking. Planning would be easier if Madoka knew what to expect beyond eventually finding caves, and so as they walk her mind begins to wander.

    Her head turns this way and that, and despite the circumstances she can't help but find the scenery beautiful. Large snowflakes hover midair all around them, latching onto them and melting as they walk through. She turns her head and twists looking behind her and letting out a giggle. The path they took is obvious, the two girls having carved out a 'tunnel' of clear space behind them where they walked through the otherwise snow-filled air.

    As they continue walking she keeps an eye out for especially large snowflakes, sticking out her tongue and trying to catch them on the tip of it, a bit easier than when snow is falling because it doesn't move, a bit harder because she can't afford to stray from their path. More giggles result.
Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura's grim silence continues up until she hears the giggling coming from her girlfriend and witch-hunting partner. Her purple eyes slide sideways to look at what Madoka is doing, and when Homura realizes it she snorts out loud and then giggles uncontrollably. There was a time in Homura's past when she wouldn't have wanted to goof off... but you know what? She's decided that if they end up dying tomorrow, they're going to wish that they had more fun today.

    Still holding onto Madoka's hand, Homura looks ahead for the nearest snowflake and opens her mouth, trying to catch it on her tongue. It melts against her touch, becoming a droplet on her tongue which she then swallows. It might not be the most professional thing she's ever done, but she's here with her cute girlfriend and no one's around to criticize them.

    "It's a bit more manageable without the wind, huh?" she asks, finally striking up a conversation. "We've got a ways to go before we hit the caves, but we'll have a head start at least. At some point we'll need to regroup with the others. We'll have to watch out for ourselves before then."

    She let's out a heavy sigh. "I just hope we aren't exposing ourselves to too much danger. When I bring us out of time stop, we'll have to be careful. I'm thinking I'll unfreeze for few seconds, then freeze it again to see if anything around is reacting to us."

    She looks over to her girlfriend again, with a smile. "How are you holding up, sweetie? A landscape like this could almost be romantic if it weren't for the situation. Kinda makes we wish we could do this again sometime, when the fate of the world isn't at stake."
Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka makes a soft hum and looks over at Homura when she begins giggling, realizing after a moment that she's the reason for it, blushing slightly and giggling some more herself. She smiles when Homura starts trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue as well, resuming the little game herself as she walks hand in hand towards danger with the dark-haired Puella.

    The question gets a nod from her, "Without the wind it really isn't bad at all, since we're ready for the cold." Ready for it and have magic to protect them from it, anyway. "We'll have to be careful, but it's almost too bad we don't know what we're looking for. You'd make an amazing scout with the ability to stop time, Homura-chan. We could go in and out without the enemy even knowing we were there. Well... maybe." She makes a little face, "If they know you have time magic and are expecting it they might be ready for it. And they could have time magic of their own that could protect them from it." She in turn seems to get a little more serious herself when the important business is brought up. When Homura signs she leans against her while holding her hand in a quasi hug.

    Madoka blinks a little when Homura asks how she's doing, "I'm good. I'm glad I'm able to be here to help Mamoru-kun and his friends. After everything that's happened it looks like they have an incredibly dangerous enemy. Maybe even more dangerous than Walpurgisnacht?" She half asks, tilting her head and looking at Homura. "It'll be good to help them after they've done so much to help us. Not only that, but if this Dark Kingdom really is that dangerous we're here to protect everyone we care about. Our friends, our families... I don't want to let them down."

    The seriousness melts away after a moment and she giggles, "We should go play in the snow on a mountain sometime, it's nice here when the wind is gone." She giggles a little bit and leans over to give Homura a kiss on the cheek. "I think it is romantic! True, it's dangerous... but there's no one I'd rather be walking towards danger with than you, Homura-chan."
Homura Akemi has posed:
    "There isn't a lot that can counter my time magic," explains Homura. "Well... not a lot that I've seen anyways. Things like physical barriers will still stop me, but only things that bind me can really join me in my time stop. It's one of the reasons why Mami is such a threat to me, really." She spends a few quiet moments considering that. "It's possible that they'd have time magic of their own, and if they did then I wouldn't really know what to expect. I guess we'd have to be ready for that. It's magic, after all."

    After a moment's pause, trudging through the snow, she adds, "I don't think they know about how my time powers work. From what I've been able to tell, they don't really share information with each other that much, and only a few of them have even seen what I'm capable of. Most of those people were Mamo-kun and his brothers, who have already been rescued from the Dark Kingdom's grasp."

    At the implied question of Walpurgisnacht, Homura's face darkens slightly. "Only in terms of raw strength. Walpurgisnacht itself isn't strong enough to take out a planet like Metallia can, but Walpurgisnacht can cause a chain reaction which does lead to the end of the world." Homura glances towards Madoka. "I'm not really sure which is stronger... Metallia or your Witch, but that's the scale of monster we're dealing with."

    Homura never really could defeat Kriemhild Gretchen. Often, she didn't even try.

    She smiles sincerely at Madoka after the kiss. She leans over to kiss Madoka back. "Well, if we ever get cold, at least we can warm each other up!"
Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I guess that's true. Riventon was able to find a way to keep you from using it, though, so maybe others will too. Maybe it's usually only touching you or tying you up that keeps you from being able to use your magic, but expecting it to work and then not having it available would put you at a big disadvantage." She thinks for a few moments and adds, "I need to find a better way to cover for my weaknesses too; I'm really strong from a distance with my bow but it's not near as useful when people are right next to me. That's actually a little bit worrying, that we might have the same weakness."

    She looks slightly relieved when Homura says she doesn't think their current enemy knows about how her magic works, "That's good. It's strange that they wouldn't tell each other about things like that, but it makes a bit more sense if they were being controlled against their wills. That's one advantage we have over them."

    When Homura glances at her and talks about her own witch Madoka looks down for a moment, "So she's strong enough to end the world." It's hard to tell which one she means there, Metallia, Kriemhild Gretchen, or both. "If that's the case, we really can't afford to hold back. We'll have to give everything we've got when it's time to face her." She lets out a soft sigh, "I wish I could say I could contribute more in my second form, but it really isn't meant for fighting. When it's time to deliver a finishing blow I think it could help, but otherwise I think I'm better off as I am right now."

    Homura kisses her back and it gets her out of her temporary reverie, letting out a giggle, "As much as I'd like it I think saving your magic for the fight is too important to get into a kissing contest with you right now, Homura-chan!" Technically they have all the time in the world and there's no rush at all to hurry on to their destination, but what if that little bit of magic used up was the difference between success and failure? Madoka is still playful before the battle itself, but she isn't losing sight of what's important.
Homura Akemi has posed:
    "I can handle close-quarters combat. It's not ideal but I know a little bit of martial arts." Homura flips her hair, but then gets a little less cocky, and maybe a little sad, when she explains why she had to learn that. "It was the easiest way to knock Sayaka out when she gets too... eager to fight. Plus you know... Hannah liked to spar a lot. A lot of my time spent in the WPS gym was fighting with her."

    She tilts her head as she walks. "Still... I prefer ranged, because I get to use explosives, and it does put me at an advantage. You could probably stand to learn some martial arts, too. It might not be as good as your bow, but you get a lot of natural strength as a Puella Magi. It wouldn't hurt to use that to your advantage."

    Homura considers the fact that the Shitennou didn't share information much. Why wouldn't they, she wonders? It's odd that she'd display a power to Endymion, and then Kunzite wouldn't know that she had it.

    "Maybe... in the state they were in, maybe they didn't trust each other. I don't really know. I know they would often swing between being only slightly brainwashed, to being fully brainwashed, depending on circumstances. They had to hide things from their boss, because if Queen Beryl found out that they were acting against her will, she'd brainwash them again. Also, if you tried to get Mamo-kun to remember who he was, the monster controlling him would react badly."

    Homura listens as Madoka talks about Metallia and mentions her second form. Homura isn't sure what to say here. Madoka knows a lot more about her own powerset than Homura does.

    She giggles at the mention of a kissing contest. "Well, it wouldn't do to get too carried away. We'll have plenty of time for kissing when our fighting is done."
Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods, "You also have shotguns which are pretty strong up close. Knowing martial arts would help. I know Hannah-chan wanted to help train me as well, but I haven't had the time yet. Actually, I'm a little worried... she's so aggressive she might hurt me by accident." Less worried than she would have been before she was a Puella Magi and thus rather durable, though.

    She gives a little shake of her head, "It isn't just fighting up close that I meant, though. Getting tied up or caught in a net; that would be very bad for either of us. I suppose that might be true for everyone, but Mami-san probably isn't the only person around who uses ribbon or rope. There are also probably Youma and Witches that try to grab onto you and pin you before hurting you. It'd be best to not get caught, and I am pretty nimble and you have your timestop powers." Madoka lets out a little sigh, "But that isn't fool-proof. I might not have been able to get away from Riventon that time if it hadn't been for Kyouko-san helping me. I'm sure you would have gotten me out, but it was a bad situation. If we were both grabbed like that at the same time, well... I'd rather have a plan ahead of time!"

    She then considers Homura's comment about the Shitennou not trusting each other, "Oh, I see. In that case they might not have wanted to tell each other everything in case they didn't have control of themselves right then? If they were hiding anything from their boss at all it makes sense they wouldn't want her to know the weaknesses of the people who might save them."

    She blushes a bit at Homura's mention of not getting too carried away, remembering the last night they spent together. Then with a smile she nods, "That's a good thing to focus on. We have to fight and win, that way we can have a lot more time to spend with each other. I haven't even gotten close to making up for all the hard times you've spent with my hugs and kisses."
Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura smiles and shakes her head at Madoka. "Strength brings control, Madoka-chan. It's the same as why I could stand up while skating even though I really didn't know how to. Balance... precision... those things come with strength. Especially the kinds of physical strength that Hannah-chan has. She won't injure you. She knows what she's doing. Especially if she intends to train you."

    With a giggle, she adds, "Though she's pretty aggressive! I wouldn't expect her to go easy on you, either! She might end up pushing you further than you ever thought you could go." Homura winks.

    Homura considers as Madoka talks about binding. It is a weakness that they share, and it would be better if they could cover for each other. "Yeah... Mami-san's really good at it and keeps catching me off guard, but she's not the only one who can do that. Technically speaking, anyone could do that to me, without special powers except for the necessary strength."

    A plan ahead of time? Homura considers. "Well, the obvious thing would be to avoid getting trapped to begin with, but that's not really enough. Depending on the situation I can fake someone out with a flashbang grenade, forcing them to release me. A handgun can allow me to shoot them in close quarters. I... don't always have a solution to that problem, though."

    Homura pauses to consider that. There really isn't a whole lot she can do if her enemy has her tied down. She wishes she could help Madoka, but she really doesn't have good advice there.

    Homura blushes at the mention of hugs and kisses. Well, the warmth of her cheeks should help against the cold, right? "Yeah... we're fighting to protect the good times we share together, right? I mean... among other things."
Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka looks a bit nervous, "Well... that's true or I'd have fallen on my face when I was trying to jump around the first few times." She gives Homura an embarrassed look as she talks about Hannah not going easy on her and pushing her. "I guess in the end that's probably a good thing, but being on the receiving end of Hannah-chan's aggression does seem a bit scary, even if I know she wouldn't be trying to hurt me." So far the aggression she's used to is against relatively mindless creatures, after all, and Hannah has enough experience in fighting to really know what she's doing. "I'm going to end up thrown against a wall, aren't I?"

    She listens to Homura as she talks, "I can't really think of any way to get out of being bound either. Maybe instead we should think up a better way of getting each other free? You could probably carry a pair of scissors or a knife in your shield pretty easily. With a bit of magic that should be able to cut through most magical bindings, right? I could maybe use one of my arrows? I've never... actually tried to hold one of them." They tend to form out of magic when she draws her bow rather than be carefully placed against the string, after all. "Maybe I could use one like a knife if someone got close to me though? Hmm..."

    Madoka giggles when she sees Homura blushing, only to agree in a more serious tone. "Yes. Our happy times, and the happy times of everyone else as well. This is the kind of thing I wanted to become a Magical Girl for. It's too important to want to stand aside and hope everyone else can do it."
Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura nods as she hears Madoka's response. "Yup! You have that, too." Homura sees the embarrassment on Madoka's face and offers a sympathetic smile. "Yeah... it can be scary, but it's important to be in top form. However scary she can be, Witches can be a lot more malicious, and they won't hold back just because you're having a rough time."

    She looks ahead, and her eyes are touched by a grim sorrow. "They'll bite your head off in a second, given the chance. So you can never give them that chance. If you want to survive, you have to be ready to fight at any time. We aren't allowed to have off-days, and we aren't allowed to be weak.."

    Homura considers the mental image of Madoka getting thrown into a wall. It takes her a moment to respond. "When you're strong enough, getting thrown into a wall, or even through a wall, won't hurt that much. Your Soul Gem already protects you from that somewhat. Even without cutting off our pain receptors, we can handle a lot more than we could as normal humans.

    Homura considers, trudging forward. "Relying on each other might be the best way. If I get something, maybe you could break me out, and the other way could work too. I could try keeping a knife in my shield. Maybe if I enhance it enough it'll survive better than the golf club did. If I have to break you out, a timestop will help with that, too."

    Homura smiles at Madoka's confirmation. "Yeah... this isn't something we can just sit at home for. It isn't just our friends' fight. It's a fight for the whole world."
Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka rubs the back of her head with her free hand, "That's true, but it means we also don't have time to recover if our friend was really rough when training us!" She isn't being entirely serious however, judging by the tone of her voice.

    She then gives a slight shake of her head, "It isn't so much getting hurt I'm worried about. It's more... it would be really embarrassing to get thrown around like that." She closes her eyes and lets out a little sigh, envisioning herself getting tossed against padded walls and slammed to the ground repeatedly. "I have a feeling I'll get to learn what it feels like to be a pet's chew toy."

    Madoka follows beside Homura, still holding her hand as they make progress. It occurs to her that it might be hard to tell which direction is even the right way to be going, but hopefully Homura thought of that when she set out. At least it's pretty obvious they aren't walking in circles; they'd surely see the paths they made through the falling snow with time stopped like this.

    A fight for the whole world. It seems both ridiculous and true at the same time, somehow. Madoka moves a little closer to Homura, and for a moment leans her head over to rest it against her girlfriend's shoulder, giving a tight squeeze to her hand. "No matter what happens I'm glad I'm here with you."
Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura giggles. "Well that's when I teach you about efficient self-healing." Her tone is half joking, at least. She listens to the rest of what Madoka says and frowns slightly. Getting embarrassed? Well... Homura can sympathise, but... "Well... you don't have to learn from her, Madoka-chan. If you want, we could find you an instructor who'd be gentler with you. Maybe Sailor Jupiter could teach you something? I know she uses her fists sometimes. She's strong even for a magical girl, and I hear she's a gentle person."

    She scratches the back of her head, nails digging through black locks. "Though... I wouldn't know how to contact her, I'm sorry to say."

    The paths that they leave behind is exactly how Homura knows that they are at least travelling in the same direction. There's no wind to cover their tracks in this frozen moment, and the snowflakes don't fall behind them. Still, and most importantly, they seem to be reaching the edge of the blizzard.

    Homura resumes time, watches for a few seconds, freezes time again to make sure that nothing is climbing out of the snow to get them, and when she's fairly sure they're both safe she unfreezes again.

    Now that Homura doesn't have to hold Madoka's hand, she's gone from that to a hug. She looks over Madoka's shoulder, to see where the others are. The blizzard seems to be blowing past them, and in a bit Homura might be able to make out the shapes of others soon.

    "Once the blizzard clears, we should try catching up with them. Being alone like this leaves us vulnerable, and the others might need our help, too."