555/It's a really big deal.

It's a really big deal.
Date of Scene:	09 November 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Infinity University
Synopsis:	Madoka and Takashi spend some time together while sharing lunch on the roof of Infinity University.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Takashi Agera

---

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's a normal school day at Infinity, which for Madoka means walking to school with Sayaka and Hitomi after eating breakfast with her family and seeing her mother off to work. It also means struggling along with the class when it comes to actual teaching and doing her best to understand things on the same level as everyone else. She's come a long way from when she first transferred into the school, but she's still glad when so far she isn't called upon to solve any difficult problems. And are there any other kind at Infinity?

    The break in her usual routine comes at lunch, when both her usual friends have other things to do, leaving her alone. It's not that she absolutely can't stand being alone but she really prefers to be around friends, and so she considers other options. Normally this consideration would be easy, except for certain -very true- rumors that are already flying around the school's rumormill.

    What was it Hannah told her? 'Be bold and assertive'?

    She tries it. After her other friends leave the pink haired girl gets up from her desk and walks over to Takashi Agera, a simple smile on her face. "Good afternoon, Takashi-san! My friends have other plans, so if you're not busy would you care to join me for lunch?"

    She can feel the eyes on her already. She can almost here the whispers of her using his first name. Her smile doesn't waver but there's a nervousness in her gaze that has nothing to do with Takashi himself. Is this how Hitomi feels all the time?! Madoka has gotten a much better appreciation for her elegant friends poise over the last several days.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Contrary to expectations, Takashi does sit with a group of people at lunch. That group is fluid and changing, but he has acquaintances, can carry on smalltalk, and is a member of the Science Club. This also means that, as Madoka comes over to talk to them, he's actually in the middle of a very involved (and geeky) discussion about energy with some of the others there.

But at the sound of his name being called out by Madoka, he stops, turns around - and at the sight of Madoka Kaname, his smile grows a little bit more real, a bit more genuine. Because connected with her are all the memories of that night, along with all of the potential he knows is within her.

"Madoka-chan." he says before taking a breath. With Homura's watchful eyes of glaring, he's not had the time to meet up with her like he wanted. But now that she's offering, he's not going to pass it up.

He turns back to his group. "Excuse me..." he begins with a bow. "But my plans for today just changed." he adds, getting up and picking up his own bento, too. He turns back to Madoka. "I'd be delighted to, Madoka-chan." He feels the eyes too, but they probably bother him far less.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    'Don't worry,' she tells herself, 'they stared at you before just because you were new. It's just like that!' The issue being that it also made her being extremely nervous and embarrassed then, too. Merely attempting to gather her wits does help though, and so as Takashi agrees to eat with her she holds her facade in place long enough to bow to his friends, "My apologies for interrupting!" On the other hand seeing his smile warm does a lot to push her own nervousness away, her own smile widening a little.

    Since she's the one who made the offer she presumes to lead him away; it may not help the rumors if she goes to eat with him on the roof, but it really is a nice place that she enjoys while also keeping the eyes off of her. Once they're out of the classroom she slows a little, " I should have realized you'd be busy... thanks for coming anyway." Another genuine smile, "You've handled it a lot better than I have; the rumors I mean." And they're much worse when it comes to how -he- reacted after they were interrupted. Does she believe them, though? Her voice sounds uncertain.

    "That's not why I want to have lunch with you though, talking about those. Um..." Why is it suddenly so hard to think of something to say? "Oh! My father always makes me extra, and he's an amazing cook, so it's always best if I have someone to share with. It's a shame to waste any of it." Fidget, fidget.

    "I'm glad to get another chance to talk with you, after everything that happened." Genuinely glad, too.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi follows Madoka up to the roof; he doesn't care much about the rumors, other than that they'll probably get out of hand as they always do, and he might end up having to take matters into his hands about that. "Don't worry. We're just the interesting thing right now. Soon somebody else will do something interesting, or the gym will explode again, or someone will jingle keys in front of them, and the dance will be old news." he says. He's old hat to being the center of Infinity's rumormill.

"I think lunch is probably better when you can share it with someone else, anyways. Then you can have some of theirs, more variety." he responds. He watches her fidgit - so much time trying to play people has taught him to watch their cues.

"I am glad too, Madoka-chan." he says, before opening the door to the sunny Infinity rooftop. It's a beautiful day out there today. And it's empty. "I do think we have some things to talk about. But it's been hard to talk to you because Akemi-san is so busy staring daggers at me. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable." he says. This is an honest truth too - though uncomfortable is also tied with 'I'd really like to blast her through a nearby wall. He doesn't add that, though.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Maybe it's just because he's more experienced with it, but it's hard for Madoka not to admire someone who can so easily brush off the things that seem to stick with and bother her. Even so she momentarily blanches at the mention of the gym exploding again, putting on a slightly embarrassed face before commenting, "Hopefully not that, Takashi-san."

    "Yes, and I'm sure you'll love my father's cooking," Though Madoka is rarely prideful in herself she is always quick to praise her friends and take pride in her family. "He makes my lunches every day." And breakfast, and dinner.

    She walks out onto the rooftop as he opens the door (without difficulty! He must know *the secret*, whatever it is.), and her warm smile immediately brightens further upon seeing how wonderfully blue the sky is, closing her eyes and tilting her head up to let the sun hit and warm her face. It incidentally sets a glow about her features and hair. She walks towards what is to her a familiar bench before sitting down, setting out the Bento that she brought with her; everything is very well put together and formed into cute shapes on top of being delicious, if fairly standard lunch fare.

    "Ah, I'm sorry about her. I have no idea why she's taken such a disliking to you, Takashi-san. I can't blame her because she really does have my best interests at heart," this is something Madoka truly believes and it shows, "but she really did cross the line." A soft sigh. "If I could I'd prefer it if you could get along well with all of my friends." A general truth as well as a specific one in this case. "I'm sorry she's making you uncomfortable. I can ask her to stop, but I don't think she'll listen."

Takashi Agera has posed:
"Well, I sure hope the gym doesn't go up like that again. I'd like another dance with you, but I don't think I want it so badly I'd wish that on my friends like Hannah - where would she practice?" There's a wink, here. He's not trying to seem like he's making light of the damage.

Takashi sits down - giving Madoka a fair bit of distance, but not too much - next to her on that bench. He pulls his own lunch back out - he'd only eaten a little bit into it. It's also very common lunch fare, with two doughy mochi balls tucked into a corner as well. He smiles - the sun is so bright out today. He'd really like to be flying. If he wasn't with Madoka, he might have spent the lunch hour doing so. This is better, though.

That thought causes him to stop, midway through picking up a small bite with his chopsticks. Better than flying? That thought was strange, and worked its way into his mind unplanned. He blinks, and is a little stunned, but Madoka's talking brings him out of it.

"Well, at least you think she crossed the line." he admits after a moment. "I wasn't sure at first if you'd signaled for her or something." he admits. "If maybe that was a bit... much... for you." he pauses, before picking up a mochi ball in his chopsticks and offering it to Madoka. "But since you're talking to me, it couldn't have been that awful."

"I'm not sure what Akemi-san's deal is." He has a pretty good idea, though. "It's clear she doesn't like me - and she especially doesn't like me spending time with you. But I think she might have gotten the wrong idea about me."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka looks down for a moment and gives a slight nod, "I'd like to dance with you again too." Of all the things she's thought about since the incident it's the one thing she's certain of. She can't deny how much she enjoyed dancing with him, and how she'd like the chance to have another.

    If she hadn't just talked with Hannah and found out she knew Takashi him calling her a friend would likely illicit a happy and surprised response, though she does still perk up at the term 'friend'; it seems Hannah held back on her! Probably so as not to appear too biased, she assumes. "I suppose it's a good thing it happened at the end of her season, but I still feel bad for all the others that have to find new places to practice." Luckily the construction workers seem surprisingly capable of rebuilding quickly; that's what you get for being able to pay top dollar with the best possible connections.

    She smiles over to him when he sits down without leaving a huge gap between them, and she sets her bento onto her lap so he can pick freely from it. Seats mostly from her own until he offers her the mochi ball, smiling. She starts to just open her mouth but then blushes, remembering she isn't just with her friends. "Thanks..." she covers, taking it carefully from his chopsticks with her own and eating it. "It's really good!"

    A sad sound, "She did." A slightly worried peek up towards his eyes, "I... don't think she was wrong in stopping us from," Blush! "k-kissing, but she should have just said my name, or tapped my shoulder or... anything else!"

    Even after admitting this she quickly shakes her head, "But I'm not upset at you for any of it, Takashi-san. You were being very sweet to me. I feel a little bad; I shouldn't have put you in a position to have to be interrupted. I'd never do something like that." She lifts her chin a little more, "I hope you can believe me; if I thought you were upsetting me I wouldn't call a friend in to step in." Actually, she'd probably just hope a friend would step in without her needing to say anything- if she was actually afraid or upset.

    "I know. And I can't say why, either, except that she doesn't trust you. I don't think she believes you care about me. It would be so much easier if she just knew the truth." Another soft sigh.

    "I... I'm not going to lie to you, Takashi-san." Sometimes she can't help simply being completely open and honest. "I'm not sure exactly what it is that I want from you. But I am enjoying talking with you, and it was so nice dancing with you that I'd love to do it again some time. Though I'm not sure if I'm ready to kiss yet..." she demurs a little as she trails off; she means with anyone, not just him.

Takashi Agera has posed:
After a bit of time Takashi does reach over with his chopsticks, and with a bit of a grin, does avail himself of some of Madoka's lunch. He barely is polite enough to swallow before exclaiming "That's really good! Much better than the stuff I make." he adds. "I'm jealous of you - of course I know about your mother, but your father's also, apparently, an incredible cook." he says. Then, he gets quiet for a moment. Blinks a few times. Thinking about his own family.

When Madoka compliments him on his own mochi, he smiles. "Yeah, I make lunch for myself an.." he almost says 'and Ayana'. That's not right. Sister isn't right. He doesn't want to talk about his 'familiar family' right now - huge layers of complication! "...and it's nice to hear I did good."

About being stopped, Takashi has his own opinion on that. "Well, I don't..." he stops. Rephrases. This is a thing he does often. "I'm not sure if it was wrong or right for us to kiss." he says, having no problem putting that word into the talk, like Madoka. "But I don't think it was right for /her/ to make that decision. I'd have stopped if you turned, if you pushed me away, anything. I didn't do it for any reason other than..." he pauses. This is honest truth. "Other than that it felt right. It might not have BEENq right, but it FELT right." Then he reaches over and snatches another bite of food and shoves it in his mouth. Food can be a convinent pause!

"We should talk more. I'd talk anytime you can sneak away from Akemi-san, honestly. I never..." he pauses - without food - "I just honestly wanted another dance with you, and nothing more, at first. That's changed, though." He wonders if someday he'll have to explain what he meant by her being special. The fact that it's true will have to do, for a while.

"I hope I can get more than just one more dance." he says, honestly. Does he mean more dances, or more... relationships? He doesn't clarify. Because his mouth is now full of doughy mochi ball. Purely by chance.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's head nods up and down quickly, smiling brightly. "My parents are the best! I'm trying my hardest to live up to their example, but by now it's pretty obvious I'll never be as great a cook as my father." She grins a little herself while saying this; it's not her fathers cooking that she worries the most about living up to.

    Still she smiles brightly when he mentions that he made his own, "You made this? It's very good! Much better than I make when I try." Not that she tries often when she has such an expert to cook for her.

    Truth be told it wasn't nearly so easy to say that magical word for her as it seemed to be for him, but she's trying not to let it show. She nods a little as he speaks, "I was so caught up in the moment..." Now a small shake of her head, "I wasn't really thinking at all. If I was I might have turned, but I don't think I'd have pushed you away."

    But isn't not thinking and living in the moment is part and parcel of romance itself?

    When he fills space with food she takes the chance to eat some more as well, sneaking one or two pieces out of his lunch to supplement her own.

    Madoka smiles softly, setting down her chopsticks for a moment to reach over and set her hand on his forearm, "I believe you, Takashi-san. I," pause, "I wondered whether or not if you were dancing with me because you had an interest in me." Why is it so impossible for her to say /romantic/ interest? "But even if you didn't at first, I'm glad you asked me to dance. Even after everything that's happened. I think I'll remember the good parts of that night for a long time."

    Then with another, slightly bittersweet smile she adds, "I'll try to tell Homura-chan, even if she won't listen. And I'll tell her I want to spend some time with you, even if she objects." She gives a small nod, trying to be assertive again- she just hopes it holds up under Homura's withering glares.

    There's a few moments of fidgeting as he's eating and she's not. She's not sure exactly what to say, knowing their both putting themselves into some odd, nebulous relationship space. But for right now... maybe that's okay?

    Finally she quietly looks up to him shyly and replies, "Me too."

Takashi Agera has posed:
"Yeah... I'm... trying to make my mother proud of me." This is, at its core, the most honest thing he could've possibly said - about his parents, about himself. "She wanted a lot for me. And that's why I work so hard. Because she gave everything she had to give me the start I have. She was smart, beautiful, driven." he says, honestly. He specifically doesn't mention his father.

"Well, if you had turned, I would've stopped. Gone back to dancing. But since Akemi-san decided to butt in, now we'll never know." he sighs. "I was caught up too. But it was a great moment, wasn't it - we were mostly alone, a lot of the others had left." he adds, a bit wistfully. When she adds some of his food to her lunch, he smiles again.

Then when her hand is on his forearm -it's a bit of a shock, he rarely does get touched by other people lately - people that aren't also foxes, anyways. Chopsticks are laid across his own bento box, and his other hand comes over to cover hers. This is all so confusing for him, on a deep level. It feels good, but there's a part that's questioning every action. It makes him unsure of himself, whenever he stops to listen to it. The only way he's been as successful as he has been is by living in the moment, not listening to that hostile voice. Listening to the new voice, the strange voice, the one who's urging him to feel things and act on those feelings.

"I'm really glad. I'm glad we danced. I'm glad you invited me up here today. I'm glad I could talk to you, and that you liked my cooking." He laughs. "My cooking's only good because cooking is related to science, and I'm good at that." he admits. "And I'm much better at academics than relationships." Understatement? very.

"But you know, today, I put that aside and came up here to have lunch with you - and I'm very glad I did." This is true, even if he cannot puzzle out why. "That means that, like I said, you must be very special. And not just that, but special to me."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    There's a smile on Madoka's face as Takashi talks about his mother, one that takes on a pained, sympathetic overtone when she hears the word 'was'. There's very few reasons people speak about family and parents in the past tense like that, and none of them are happy. "I'm sure you're making her very proud. You're the top of your class at the most prestigious high school in the nation!" She smiles a little more warmly, trying to cheer him up without pressing too hard.

    She looks a bit far away when he speaks about how wonderful the dance was, tilting her head to the side. And then he sets his hand on hers and her cheeks blush softly. It's not as confusing for her as it is for him, the primary conflicts for her are that her friend clearly despises him, and she's not sure how quickly she should let herself become attached to a boy she's only just getting to know. Other than that she just knows that his hand feels comfortable and nice, and more than just on her skin.

    Without looking at him she turns her hand over their hands are palm to palm and quietly to interlace her fingers with his. She looks up to him afterwards with a small hopeful smile as he tells her how glad he is to talk with her again and her blush holds steady. "It's okay," she says afterwards, "You don't have to be good at it. You just have to try. And you're trying, right?" A quiet little admission, "I'm not sure that I'm very good at this kind of relationship either." This Kind! "But I'm trying, too."

    And then he once again says wonderful, magical words that make her heart flutter and the color show even more on her cheeks. She doesn't say anything, just sitting there flustered and blushing in a very happy way.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi looks at Madoka - and really, looks at her, not the energy or emotion he feels, but Madoka Kaname - as she tries to cheer him up about his mother. That's a shortcut to his feelings. Even when he was at his worst. "I hope so. I don't think that's enough, though." he adds. "Not after what she sacrificed. If I was content there, I'd still not be reaching my potential, the strength she gave me." he adds, looking up.

"You hear stories about orphans doing well and it's uplifting and all. Maybe a few a year, little news items." While Takashi knows his father, he is effectively an orphan - he lived alone, raised himself, taught himself. "I don't want to be one of a few though. I want to be one of one. Unique. That's the potential I have, because of her."

He stops being a downer, in his mind, after that little speech. And plus, Madoka's turned her hand up and now he squeezes her hand with his. "Sorry. I guess it's just easy for me to be open around you." he admits. Then he looks down as she talks about her own 'skill' at relationships. He smiles. "You're good enough for me." he says, when she says she's not sure that she's very good. "Great, even. And you're right, as long as we both keep trying, it'll probably end up fine!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka returns the look, tilting her head up a little as her eyes meet his for more than just a moment. "Then... just keep trying at that, too." The words sound a little lame to her as she says them, but they're heartfelt. "If you don't think you're living up to your mother, you just have to keep trying, and work your hardest! Sometimes that's the things that moms are looking for, more than the success itself." This is something she has personal experience in! Though she doesn't reference Junko herself, since Takashi doesn't have his mother to tell him that directly.

    Truly, she can't imagine where she would be without her parents and even though it's clear he doesn't intend to give her some sob story, exactly the opposite in fact, it still endears her to him. "...you are 'Unique', Takashi-san. You are, already! But if that isn't enough, then keep trying and doing your best!" Whether or not he actually finds her words motivational she's giving him a warm, bright smile. The words aren't forceful in a 'take what you want' way like Hannah might offer but happy and hopeful with the strength of faith and optimism that so clearly shines through in her eyes and expression.

    Her head shakes softly and she makes a gentle negative sound, "You don't have to apologize. If you think it's easy to talk around me, then that makes me very happy. One of the reasons I wanted to have lunch with you today was to get to know you better." And now that she is getting that chance, she feels a lot better about all of this. It shows on her face, and she lightly squeezes his hand back.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi smiles at Madoka. "Yeah. I mean, I know one thing that wouldn't make her proud, no matter what - and that's if I stopped trying as hard as I could. So that's something I will never, ever do." he says, to Madoka - but it's as much to himself. In fact, everything that's put him here talking to Madoka now has been one long trek. It's a very firm statement of resolve.

He can't help but grin as Madoka pushes to motivate him. From anybody else, they might sound ridiculous and hollow - Hannah's words are always backed up with a strength and force of her punches, so they ring true, and much like this, it seems like the words Madoka speaks are backed up by the force of that latent power he couldn't help but sense in her.

"You are unique too, Madoka-chan." he adds. "That's why I danced for that second song. That's why I came up here. That's why..." he trails off. In his head, he's thinking that her uniqueness is the reason for a lot of things. All he ends up doing is just looking softly at her. "What about you? I've talked so much about me." he says. He is not unaware of this. This doesn't mean he minds talking about himself, either.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    There's resolve and passion in his voice, and Madoka picks it up. Her reward is another warm smile, maybe less openly cheerful as she would give to Sayaka or Hitomi, but also a bit sweeter and with a hint of affection starting to show. "Then keep pushing until you have what you want!" Cheeful, but with a bit more strength behind it this time.

    Then suddenly things are turned around and he's asking about her, and she blushes again. "Me? I... I always feel like I'm trying to live up to everyone around me." It's an odd juxtaposition; she's so optimistic about everyone else. It's so easy for her to see the good in others. "I'm honestly not very good at academics, and I'm not especially talented at art or sports. It's always felt there wasn't anything special about me, and that I'd always have to rely on others to do anything amazing."

    She delivers all of this in a slightly quiet tone, though without any angst or melancholy. "That's... that's why it means to much to me when you say that I'm special. And special to you..." She looks up to him, blushes, and looks away. "I know there are some good things I can do for my friends, and helping in the Hospital also makes me feel like I can really make a difference. But even that isn't... 'special'." A soft smile.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi smiles a bit. "I'll never stop pushing for what I want. that's a promise." This is a promise that totally will not come back to bite Takashi in life, or in any way. Nope.

"Well, if you need to feel special - I've never shared my lunch with any of those others on this roof, before." he says, picking up the last bite of his lunch, waving it dramatically near her, and setting it down on her box. "So there's something special about you." he adds, firmly, as his chopsticks make a loud click as he sets them into the box.

"THAT is special. Being someone I can open up to?" (mostly) "That is pretty special too. Getting my attention from across the room? Making me want to kiss you during a first dance? You know, I think you get the point." he adds, with a grin.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I don't know if I need to be... but I want to be," Madoka admits. Though she doesn't recognize it she really does though; and it's not even enough to be special. To truly be happy she has to think she is, to see something wonderful in herself. It's not that it isn't there, it's that she's completely oblivious to it.

    It's easy, then, for her to take his words and hold onto them closely. It isn't just the words either, but the very way he's treating her that makes her feel special. So when he points this out himself it only reinforces her own thoughts, "I think that's why people were so quick to talk. You're not really known for getting close to your classmates, so when you do they think it's a big deal." There's a small pause and she adds softly, "Maybe it is?"

    She blushes again at the mention of grabbing his attention from across the room. She half wonders for a moment if it's the ribbons; she might have to thank her mother for that decision.

    "Thank you for spending so much time with me, Takashi-san. I've really enjoyed having lunch with you," she comments. It might seem a little odd to come so suddenly, but- yes, there it is. The bell. They'll have to head back to their classes soon. She carefully, slowly packs up her finished Bento.

    For the moment she just sort of sits there, and an ever growing blush spreads lightly on her cheeks.

    She hasn't let go of his hand yet... and she's not going to until he does first.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi smiles. "I'm not known for getting too close to my classmates, because frankly, they're not really always worth it." he says. This may be the first hint of his colder, darker nature. "But you were. You were worth my time and effort. And you are still. Even if that means I have to go through a dozen Akemi-sans." he adds, with a mirthful grin.

"It's a really big deal." he adds, honestly. He's not trying to stop her from noticing those rumors, now! "/You/ are a big deal. There's no maybe about that. Maybe not to anyone else, but to me you are!" And to Akemi, he thinks. He doesn't voice that thought. He's doing good just to remember to add the honorific after her name when he talks to Madoka.

"We'll have to do it again sometime." he says as the bell rings. He gets up and lets go of her hand - slowly, like it was something he had to do rather than wanted. He walks with her to the door of the rooftop, headed back into the school.

His luck has not held. The door is almost jammed shut. He has to give a nervous laugh as it takes him both hands to pull open the door. But he does get it, opens it wide, and takes a bit of a bow with a sweeping hand. "After you."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka gives a tiny nervous smile to that. She doesn't think that's true, but maybe it is to someone who's pushing themselves to be the very best. And when she thinks about that it makes her wonder again exactly what it is he sees in her, a girl so very... mediocre. "I'm going to try so that you don't have to go through any Homura-chan's," she comments with an embarrassed smile, "though it might just mean you have to go around her instead."

    When he stands up and slowly lets go of her hand she lets it slide from his with equal reluctance, standing afterwards herself and following him to the door, "I'm glad your enjoying your time with me. And I guess if that's the reason people are talking, it really shouldn't bother me at all." Though she has momentarily forgotten the bits about those rumors about how he reacted after Homura took her away. When she looks back on this tonight she'll realize this conversation did a lot to amplify the positives without addressing any potential downsides in being close to him.

    But then, how often does Madoka ever let someone's flaws outweigh their positive traits in her estimation?

    She giggles a little as the door jams shut as he tries to open it, taking a small step back so as not to be smacked by it if decides to suddenly fly open as it sometimes can. She steps through and pauses a moment, looking back at him and smiling as he's wreathed in the afternoon's sunlight before continuing on to class.