634/A Very Puella Thanksgiving

A Very Puella Thanksgiving
Date of Scene:	27 November 2015
Location:	Earth Court Frat House
Synopsis:	Kyouko, Sayaka, Madoka, Homura, and Mami gather for an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname, Mami Tomoe, Homura Akemi, Kyouko Sakura

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Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Mamoru's apartment is the penthouse of an apartment building. He is rich. It is very fancy. Kyouko is also currently staying there, because Mamoru is in hiding, and her own apartment is rubble (and its sort of his fault). It's really nice.. a little too nice, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. But it's better than the ruined church..

    Anyway, so when Sayaka suggested having a 'Thanksgiving Dinner' with Madoka in order to apologize to her, Kyouko leapt at the chance to have it at 'her' place. Make it a bit less lonely. On the other hand, she didn't really want to apologize to Madoka- but on the other other hand, she did promise Sayaka she would do better.

    So she's pacing a bit nervously in the apartment as she waits for the two to arrive. At least she didn't have to cook. That would have been a disaster.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka, having spent the last two years in America, has very specific ideas about what 'Thanksgiving Dinner' might entail. And so at Sayaka's suggestion she tells her friend not to worry and she'll bring the food. Her father was going to make a nostalgic one anyway, so it's a simple matter of asking 'more please!' Had the family focus of the holiday seeped in a bit more this probably wouldn't have been acceptable

    As it is Madoka is utterly loaded down with food as she's makes her way into the apartment, having been driven over by her parents. She has two large canvas bags filled with sealed containers of still piping hot food slung across her body, and another in each hand, one of which contains almost 20 pounds of uncarved turkey.

    This had seemed like a great, silly idea as she walked into the apartment complex, but after she gets to the top floor she's left weak kneed and trembling, stumbling forward under the weight of so much delicious food. When she reaches the door she realizes she has an even larger problem; no free hands to knock with. She looks around quickly to make sure no one can see her before closing her eyes and rapping on the door with a few slow bonks of her forehead.

Homura Akemi has posed:
When Madoka's parents drove her to Mamoru's apartment, there was a black sedan taking the same route. It wasn't following them, at least not obviously. It was just... always there. Quiet, like a spectre. Sometimes it seemed to vanish only to appear somewhere else. The windows were tinted, so one couldn't see the driver.

As Madoka's parents pull away, the black sedan waits for Madoka to go inside. Once the pink-haired girl is out of sight, the sedan's door opens, and out jumps Homura Akemi.

"This is Mamoru's apartment... Could Madoka be going up to see him?"

Hm. Well. Mamoru Chiba and Homura Akemi are friends. It wouldn't be that strange for her to show up at his place. Also, in the tight hallways and elevators of the highrise, there are far fewer places to hide. Even if one uses timestops to cheat.

In henshin, the distance between the ground and the balcony is an easy jump. Homura makes her way up to Mamoru's balcony, and when she lands she knocks on the balcony door.

Even if she guesses wrong about Madoka coming here, at least there's someone here to talk to, though it would raise a few questions.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Alright! Time to celebrate! At least as far as Sayaka is concerned, she has at least one thing to be thankful for this year..And even though Kyousuke is still in the hospital and doesn't seem to be responding to treatement, at least Kyouko made it home, safe and sound. Plus, she's not longer corrupted by the Dark Kingdom!

    So, this was totally her idea, although with her parents holding some dull, company dinner at her place, she settled for second best - Mamo's apartment!

    Actually Saya's never been here before but it looks totally amazing. She arrives a few minutes late (Darned bus!), also carrying some food. She's probably not that great at cooking, but she can at least cook a little. Hopefully Madoka can help her along!

    Sayaka has no trouble skipping up the staircase, even with both hands full of groceries, and she grins cheerfully at Madoka as she meets her outside the door. "Madoka-chan! So glad you could make it!" She also knocks enthusiastically on the door, impatiently waiting for Kyouko to open it. "Heh, I wonder if Mami-san will show up too? That'd be great, wouldn't it? I called her on the number she gave me..But she might be working tonight.."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko hears the knock on the door and actually jumps slightly. "Jeez.. calm down, girl." She mutters to herself. "You've been fighting literaly monsters for years. Why do a couple of normal girls make you so nervous?" She smooths back her red hair as she walks towards the door. Maybe it's because one of those girls is very important to her, and the other one of those girls has every reason to hate her, and also happens to be the first girl's childhood friend. Ugh, life.

    Still, she pulls the door open just as Sayaka walks up behind Madoka, thankfully sparing her from having to deal with Madoka alone. "A-ah.. hi." She says, flashing her best one-fanged grin. "C'mon in, both of you. Holy crap, that's a lot of food. I ain't complaining though.. lemme grab some of that." She tries to relieve Madoka of some of her burden before the girl collapses and dies in Mamo's apartment. How could she explain that one.

    Then she hears a knock on the balcony door, which makes her tense up slightly. "What the hell.." She puts the bag down and walks over to pull open the door, ready to henshin if it's trouble. And.. uh. Maybe it is.

    "Homura? What the hell are you doing here?" That's definitely not a welcoming tone of voice.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Very luckily Madoka has stopped her silly knocking by the time Sayaka comes up behind her or she would never have been able to live it down. "Sayaka-chan! It's good to see you again. Do you really think she'll come? That'd be wonderful!" She gratefully hands the canvas bags in her hands over to Kyouko when she opens the door and offers. If she's afraid of the redhead still it doesn't show on her face as all, "Thanks!" Her smile is very bright at the surprise at all the food, "Ehe, my father is an amazing cook! Thanksgiving Dinner isn't Thanksgiving Dinner if there isn't at least a day worth of leftovers!"

    She walks inside and goes to the dining room and starts unpacking, setting out a plethora of cooked and ready to eat sides. "Do you have a platter for the turkey, Kyouko-san?" Not quite up to -chan, yet it seems. Well, she -did- kidnap the girl. A rapping on the back door and she blinks in surprise as well, leaning over to see as it opens. "Homura-chan! I didn't know you were invited," she says excitedly, accidentally talking right over Kyouko. "Come in, there's more than enough for everyone!"

    She then looks around a little, "But, hm, where is Mamoru-kun?" Oops. No one filled her in on that little detail. That might explain all the food; ravenous Shoujo tend to swarm around him.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka beams at Madoka, "Mado-chan! It's been a while..I'm glad you could make it. And I'm glad you're being a sport and accepting an invitation with Kyouko there, knowing how she kidnapped you and all." Yeah, she told her the whole story and explained everything. Sayaka at least, forgave her, and she's hoping that Madoka was able to as well, given her pure-hearted nature and all.

    "Heh, I'm sure you took some lessons from him! Me? I'm just a beginner at cooking, not so sure about Kyou-chan's cooking ability though.."

    She grins even more widely upon seeing Kyouko, still getting used to seeing her as just Kyouko, and not Apatite anymore. "Heh, how you been? Hope I didn't bring too much food." Well, Madoka brought the Turkey, while Sayaka brought the appetizers it seems..Potatoes, salad, all the ingredients for cranberry sauce, etc.

    She manages to find a place to settle down all her shopping, when there's a strange rapping at the balcony. "Hmmm, who could that be..?" But it seems Kyouko reaches the balcony first, and her own reaction seems to mirror that of Kyouko's, oddly enough, offering up a decidedly cold and hostile look towards Homura. "Homura..What are you doing here?"

    Eyes narrow coldly as she watches her somewhat warily, glancing over at Madoka, "No, she wasn't invited." Clearly, something happened since last they met.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura's eyes widen as she spots Kyouko on the other side of that door.

"I could ask you the same damn thing!" says Homura. "I'm pretty sure this isn't your apartment! Also, aren't you brainwashed or something?"

Now now, calm down Homura. Mamoru and Kyouko do hang out sometimes. This isn't that much of a surprise.

"Whatever. Grats on being normal again. Should I send out an all points bulletin, warning all Puella about the return of Kyouko? Or is that still not a problem?"

When Homura looks past Kyouko, she spots Madoka and Sayaka in the apartment. None of this makes sense to her. She gets a little tense at seeing Madoka and Kyouko at the same place, after what Madoka said about Kyouko the last time the subject came up. Yet... Madoka seems happy enough? At least she doesn't seem like she feels unsafe?

So... This is a party. A party that she has kindof invited herself to.

Madoka beckons her in, and Homura says, "Well... if you don't mind my company."

Homura keeps a wary eye on Kyouko and unhenshins, as a way of saying that she isn't here to fight. Then she walks over to Madoka and sits down next to her.

Sayaka's cold hostility earns her a cold stare from Homura. Homura's long grown used to that look. If anything, she was wondering where it went. It almost feels like home.

"I was just in the area." No further explaination offered.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko gives Homura much the same look that Homura is giving her. Of course, Homura is /also/ friends with Mamoru and Kyouko knows this, so it's really not that bizarre that Homura should show up here. The timing is just.. not so great. "Mamoru asked me to watch his apartment." She says, in a haughty tone, flipping her ponytail in a pale imitation of Homura's own move.

    As for the brainwashing. "I'm so over that. Try to keep up." She's about to tell Homura to beat it, when Madoka just talks right over her and invites her in, and before she knows it the dark-haired girl is walking right in like she owns the place. Kyouko sighs.. but doesn't protest. She's supposed to be making things up to Madoka, right? Well..

    She looks over at Sayaka, and sees the cold look she is giving Homura. THis actually fills Kyouko with a bit of a warm feeling. Saya-chan is on her side! She can't help but smile a little bit as she walks over and takes her place next to Sayaka, shooting Homura another look which says, 'try anything funny and you're dead'.

    "Can I help with anything?" She asks Sayaka, trying to distract herself. "I can't cook but I can spoon stuff out with the best of 'em."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods happily, "I love parties! To be honest, I was really hoping I would get the chance to talk things over with her. I heard she had reasons for what she was doing, and even though I was really scared she wasn't ever going to hurt me. I don't agree with what she did, but I think I can forgive her for it." A warm smile, "Isn't it better if we're all friends anyway? Especially since you two have gotten closer."

    She has to give an embarrassed shake of her head, "I'm no good in the kitchen. I helped Papa cook, but mostly I washed things and handed him the things he needed. Luckily he's good enough for the both of us!"

    Then things suddenly get a lot more tense as Madoka realizes that she may be the only one here actually happy to see Homura. She smiles to the other girl even so as she sits down next to her, "Of course I don't, Homura-chan."

    She looks between Kyouko and Sayaka, and gets up from her chair, momentarily setting her hand on Homua's shoulder. Is she...trying to comfort her?

    "Sayaka-chan! Please don't be that way. Homura-chan... everything she's done; it's been for me. This whole time, she was trying to protect me."

    She still isn't completely sure how to take that, but she's trying to understand and accept it. She holds her a hand up to her chest, "I'm not sure about everything that has happened between the four of us, but we've all made horrible, stupid mistakes. We've all done things we wish we hadn't, or wish we could take back." Perhaps a bad choice of words, but she doesn't realize it. "You wanted me to come over here so I could talk to Kyouko-san and forgive her... and I will. Maybe... maybe we could all do that! Couldn't we all just talk about it and forgive each other over a wonderful dinner?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka steps away from Homura as she settles in, making herself comfortable. The fact that she de-henshined makes her feel just a little less wary of the raven haired girl..However, she still has her guard up for some reason. "Just in the area huh? Well you'd better not be here to cause trouble, Homura.." Seems she's dropped the -chan part.

    She folds her arms as she taks a step towards Kyouko, cold blue eyes never leaving Homura. She'd like to tear into Homura right now, tell her how Kyouko told her all about Miss White kidnapping her and experimenting on her, and how Homura was just her lackey who probably went along with everything Miss White told her to do. It makes her so mad! But, this is also supposed to be a nice, peaceful dinner.

    And so she'll hold her tongue, for now. But she wont lower her guard completely. Besides, it's true that Homura is Mamoru-san's friend too, so she can't technically kick her out of here, even if she wanted to.

    Glancing over at Kyouko as she speaks to her seems to calm Sayaka down considerably, and she offers her a warm smile as she starts pulling stuff out of the bags. "Sure! I guess the turkey just needs a little warming if you want to get the oven ready. We can make some fresh salad to go with the turkey, if you want to start washing the greens too."

    Glancing at Madoka, Sayaka sighs as she listens to her words and her pleadings for peace, love and forgiveness. Sure, Kyouko had valid reasons for doing what she did, but what was Homura's excuse?

    "Hmph.." She mutters something under her breath, "I have no desire to fight here, and now, of all days. We came here to celebrate peace and to be thankful for each other's company. But when this is all over, I want explanations from her." Sayaka totally talks just to Madoka, not sure how to handle Homura for the time being.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura's giving Kyouko that same look, in her own way. The way she glances around after giving that look seems to indicate that she'd rather not mess this place up.

Still, tense dinner, but considering Kyouko's history with Madoka, Homura really does not feel comfortable just leaving Madoka here. No matter how unwelcome she might be.

Madoka puts a hand on Homura, and Homura looks over and up to her. Then she looks over at Sayaka and Kyouko. "You don't have to make excuses for me, Madoka-chan."

"You want to put things behind us? Fine. I don't have time to pursue grudges."

To Sayaka, Homura almost says something... but she looks over at Madoka, considering what she said. Right. Nice peaceful dinner. Instead of speaking her mind, she just sits there looking uncomfortable.

Sayaka goes into the kitchen, and Kyouko offers to help. Homura also starts looking for something to do...

"I guess I could help set the table..." says Homura, at a loss for what else to do and yet not wanting to be useless.

Sayaka wants an explaination. Well, how should Homura phrase that? Homura sees herself as a villain, so she doesn't have much hope that she'll convince Sayaka otherwise.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko gives Madoka something of a sneer as she comes to Homura's defense, momentarily forgetting she's supposed to be making things up to the pink-haired girl. "Yeah well, I don't see how condoning my /torture/ was protecting you-" Then she pauses, registering the rest of what Madoka said.. and she heaves a heavy sigh. "You know what? You're right. I sure as hell can't claim I didn't make stupid mistakes. So, for now at least.. let's just forget about it."

    She glances at Sayaka again, and gives the girl a smile just as warm as the one she received. "Sure, Saya-chan." She wanders over and finds the turkey, taking it to the hi-tech kitchen and popping it in the oven. Luckily it's in an oven-safe container! She sets it to warm, then finds the salad stuff and starts washing. That she can do, at least.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka sighs a little. When Sayaka decides to be stubborn and dig her heels in there's not much that can get through to her. Pushing the issue further will probably just make her even more extreme in her position. "Okay, Sayaka-chan. Let's just have a nice dinner together." Her smile is a bit less genuine than it was a moment ago but she's pretty good at hiding that fact.

    Seeing Homura look for something to do he nods, "Let's set the table and get all the sides ready while they warm the turkey up some more, Homura-chan. Plastic containers aren't the fanciest serving dishes, but the food will taste just as good!" She does her best to go about this task, having to dig through a bunch of different cupboards in order to try and find the right ones. She has to stop at Kyouko's words, wincing and looking over to Homura. Condoning her torture? Is that really something Homura did?

    "I don't know either, Kyouko-san. Maybe she wasn't then and was making a mistake. I just know that Homura-chan is my friend, and Sayaka-chan is my friend, and I want to be your friend too. You want to protect Sayaka-chan, right? How far would you go to do that?" Maybe that's a low blow considering what Kyouko just got over, "I think Homura-chan just wants to protect me. I think you two have a lot more in common then you realize, that's all."

    She looks over to Homura afterwards, "I'm not making excuses. If you did those things you were wrong. But I've also seen you do good things! And I'd rather think about the good things you've done than the bad."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    It seems some feelings are mutual all around; There's lots of bitterness in the air. But at least Homura has Madoka to keep her in check..And Kyouko has Sayaka to ease her as well. As if to mirror Madoka's own actions, Sayaka gently squeezes Kyouko's shoulder, trying to offer her comfort.

    "Well...I guess we can settle our differences another time. At least I'm sure she wont try anything as long as Madoka is here.." When Madoka and Homura get up to set the table..With plastic cutlery no doubt, Sayaka catches herself chuckling just a little, in amusement. Trust Madoka to lighten a situation with something as silly and mundane as that!

    "Heh, Madoka-chan, that's classic! Well, I guess you're right, the food will taste good all the same..But I wonder if Mamoru-san has some proper cutlery in the drawers over there?" She nods towards the kitchen, although suddenly regrets suggesting that. She'd like to keep Homura at a safe distance, thank you!

    Glancing over at Kyouko, she smiles, "Here, I've got some tomatos and peppers to add to the salad. When you're done washing, you can wring out the water and put the mixed greens in this bowl here. Then you can help me chop up these veggies."

    Even though she tries to lighten the mood, she still feels pretty tense. If there wasn't so much tension in the air right now, it might almost be amusing. "Y'know, maybe what we need is some nice relaxing music.."

Homura Akemi has posed:
"I suppose if I were a warrior of justice like Mami-san, I might've stood up for you back then," says Homura, as she starts distributing plates, glasses and silverware around the table. She knows where to find it. She brushes past Sayaka on the way, because Homura doesn't care how much she glares at her, but it's only for a brief moment. "but I'm not. I'm a Puella Magi, just like you, and honestly the first time we met you were bullying a little girl out of her first Grief Seed."

"A little girl who was too naive to know that she needed those to live, and it suddeny became my task to teach her how to eat. Because no one else gave enough of a shit."

Homura sounds a little annoyed by the responsibility, actually. Did she resent Nagisa? ... No, not really, she liked the girl herself just fine, but she resented the fact that she basically got screwed. Even Mami was holding her back a bit.

"Whatever. There was a lot going on at the time. We didn't know each other back then. We were just competitors fighting over the same territory, and things went too far."

Homura's not even looking at Kyouko.

"... but my plan back then was to protect Madoka, sure... it's a bit more complicated than just that, but that was my end goal."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Yeah.. well, you ain't wrong." Kyouko says in response to Madoka's comment that they have 'more in common than they realize', and she sounds a little sad when she says it. The truth of the matter is, Madoka and Sayaka only have an outside view. Kyouko and Homura know what it means to be a Puella- often that it means doing what you think you have to do, whether it's 'right' or not. Doesn't mean she has to /like/ Homura, but hell, she understand what that's like.

    When Sayaka squeezes her shoulder, she lifts her hand and covers Sayaka's and squeezes it as well. That makes her feel better, and she's starting to relax a little bit, when Homura starts talking again. Her cheeks flush- she actually looks ashamed as Homura reminds her of how she bullied Nagisa. "Yeah well.. I'm sorry about that. Really." She keeps hold of Sayaka's hand for a moment as she talks, seeming to need the strength. "If Nagisa were here I'd tell her myself. I'm trying to do better now, alright?"

    She just sounds so.. depressed when she says it. But she tries to shake it off a moment later, releasing Sayaka's hand and going back to getting the salad ready. "I think I can do better." THis is mostly to herself, her eyes on the vegetables.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods to Sayaka, "Yes! You're right, some music would be wonderful. Something like the ones you bring to Kamijou-san would be wonderful right now, don't you think?" She gives her friend a happy smile, and really means what she's saying. Classical music isn't exactly her thing, but something nice, relaxing, and soothing sounds perfect. It might even help everyone calm down a little!

    Soon she's buzzing around helping to set the table like a fluffy pink headed bee, moving back and forth between the cupboards and the table. After a moment she hums, "Actually, why don't we use the nice serving dishes after all?" Why the sudden change of mind..?

    She looks over to Homura as she talks about what the situation was like when the terrible things went down, "You should tell me about those things sometime, Homura-chan. About what a Puella Magi needs to live. Not right now though, I don't think this is a good time."

    She smiles happily to Kyouko then, "Yes!" It's shockingly cheerful considering the mood and the tone the redhead just spoke with, "We all just need to try and do better. Even if we've made mistakes, as long as we admit to them we can avoid them, right?" With the table set Madoka settles down for food! Once it's served she is very occupied with her meal; her father's cooking really is that good and though she doesn't pack it down quite like Kyouko can she's very into food.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami was texted by both Sayaka and Madoka - and between the two of them and her somewhat western personal preferences, has gathered enough of what's going on to pick up 'a sort of thankgiving dinner!' - which is also why she's late. Because as interested as she is in what's going in, it wouldn't be wrong for her to show up without something to share.

And then she got a little bit distracted, baking an unconscionably large and fancy pie for the dinner. Making things like this is one of the few ways Mami Tomoe can lose track of herself and time (which is why she does it so often.) But in this case, it's made her late.

With the pie cradled in a box in her right arm, she knocks softly on the door with her left. She got the number from both Sayaka and Madoka, so she's reasonably sure she's got the right place.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "Yeah, well..At least Kyou-chan recognizes her mistakes and is trying to atone for them. Can you say the same for yourself, Homura?" Sayaka continues to glare back at Homura, even if what she says is true. Kyouko was honest enough to admit that yes, she bullied other Puella, and possibly some of them may have died after she ran them out of town. But hey, at least she's trying to be good now, right?

    But it's also true that Sayaka doesn't know the first thing about being a Puella Magi, although something Homura says has her scratching her head. "What are you talking about?! Why wouldn't a Puella Magi be a defender of justice? Isn't that their mission, to defeat witches and protect the innocent? Why else would they be granted unbelievable power?"

    Yes, everything is so clear cut to Sayaka, and she is still so naieve in all of this. Little do any of them know, that she is very close to forming a contract with Kyubey herself..She smiles faintly at Madoka as she mentions Kyousuke-chan, blushing very faintly. "Yeah, I think some music would be nice..I wish he could have been here with me, tonight, but..."

    For a moment, Sayaka looks sad as she pauses in her chopping of vegetables and heads for the stereo, pulling out one of many classical music CDs as she busies herself with fumbling with the controls. A moment later, a soft string quartet of classical Mozart starts playing, its gentle notes helping to ease the tension in the room a little - hopefully..

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura stares at Kyouko. She's sorry...?

Homura pauses for a moment, waving her hand in the air. "We've already apologized for all of that, haven't we? Several times. Yes, it happened. Yes, I'm a jerk. I'm not going to run from that... and for what it's worth, I wouldn't abandon you in a cell again, and I shouldn't have to begin with."

Granted, her reasons for that are not -exactly- moral... but she's not claiming they are either.

To Madoka, Homura says, "Yeah... sure." Homura could only ever tell her half the truth, but even half is still more than what Kyubey would tell her.

To Sayaka, Homura frowns. "You have no idea how many mistakes I've made, or how futile it would be to try to make up for them."

Sayaka asks a question about Puella Magi, and Homura's eyes widen. "No. We're not defenders of justice. Witches eat humans, and we eat Witches." She turns to Kyouko, saying, "Don't tell me you told her this stuff, right? We aren't like the Sailor Senshi or other magical girls. Sure, some of us can survive that way, but even Mami can't protect the innocent if she doesn't also protect her own life."

Speaking of, Mami knocks on the door. Homura goes to open it, standing off to the side and staring at the food she's brought. "Mami-san... do you... need help with any of that?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Yeah.." Kyouko says quietly as Homura repeats that they've apologized for that before. It seems like it's hard to make apologies stick though, at least between the two of them. They're both so jaded, is the problem, that it's hard to gain anything like trust again after it's been broken (or never formed in the first place). "Well, we both belong to that not-so-exclusive club. Dunno if we'll ever be friends, Homura, but at least for tonight, let's just forget it, alright?"

    She then winces slightly as Homura proceeds to berate her for not giving Sayaka the 'hard truths' about being a Puella. "Look, all I told her was not to trust the white rat, alright? I was trying to keep her out of all this crap.." She shoots an apologetic look at Sayaka. "I promised to be more open in the future but.. you can't blame me for not going right to the hard stuff. I was trying to spare you that." This is said directly to Sayaka.

    She looks just faintly distressed as Sayaka comments on her sadness that Kyousuke isn't here- perhaps feeling just a little bit of 'aren't I good enough', but she recognizes this as an irrational feeling, and she's never been under any illusions about the way Sayaka feels towards the injured boy, so she says nothing and it soon passes. Of course, then Mami is knocking on the door.

    She moves to answer it, but Homura gets there first, which makes her look a little put out again. Sure, Homura has stayed here before too, but /she's/ housesitting this time, she should get the door! Then she sees that it's Mami and.. she huffs, turning her back. Totally different from her hostile coldness towards Homura, this reaction is.. surprisingly childish.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami smiles warmly as Homura opens the door. "Hello, Akemi-san! I hope I'm not intruding. Miki-san sent me a message, and I didn't want to come without something..." she adds, inclining her head at the pie boxes. "If you'd like to take one that would help a lot, yes!"

Mami cranes her head in a bit as she steps across the threshold, seeing who's there. Just in time to see Kyouko huff and turn her back. "Sakura-san, I'm just here to visit. Nothing bad today. I brought piiiieeeee~." she says, the last bit in a singsong voice, like an adult trying to appease said childish person.

The one thing Mami did not bring, intentionally, is Kyubey. She didn't want to exacerbate the existing tensions by having to defend him, or having him try to make contracts. And she even admonished him not to show up.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka's mood seems to lighten just a little as the classical music flows through the room. However, she continues to turn away from everyone, staring for a long moment at the stereo as Homura talks about Puella eating Witches. What the heck is she going on about, anyway? Well, whatever. Homura's just full of it, and always has some ulterior motive, as far as Sayaka's concerned.

    "Hmph, of course I knew there was some price, but having to kill witches to maintain your powers..And save innocents as a result? What's the harm in that? There's no reason why you have to be a villain just to do that. Besides, I..."

    She cuts herself off quickly, deciding it best not to tell anyone about her desires to become a Puella and sign a contract with Kyubey. That desire isnt quite burning, or strong enough just yet, but she is seriously considering it, if it'll heal Kyousuke..And heck, maybe he'll actually start to have feelings for her too!

    Then Mami's suddenly at the door, and Sayaka beams. "Mami-san! I'm so glad you could make it! After you gave me your number and everything..I felt bad, catching you at a bad time and all, but I'm glad we get to meet for real!" She grins at the pie, "Wow, did you bake that? It looks great! Please, have a seat, dinner should be ready any minute now..."

    Speaking of, the bell rings shortly after the words are out of her mouth.

Homura Akemi has posed:
"Fine, just forget it," says Homura. She wants to say something else, but she bites her tongue. She's already ruined one special event that Madoka planned recently. She doesn't want to make a habit of it.

"... yeah honestly a lot of the harder parts of being a Puella Magi are pretty depressing, even disgusting. It's not something we usually want to talk about, and others don't usually want to hear it, either." Is she backing Kyouko up? Well, she's not arguing with her, in any case.

Homura takes some number of the pies from Mami-san, roughly splitting her load in half, as much as Mami will allow her to. She carries the pies to a counter in the kitchen, placing them down and clearing off a space for Mami to do the same.

Sayaka says something that Homura finds very suspicious. Homura has seen what happens to Sayaka. .oO(If she makes a contract... will she die within a week or two like she normally does? Is this timeline going to be different? Maybe if I... No... no there's nothing I can do about it. She never listens to me. Besides, I don't know that she's going to contract.)

Homura excuses herself from the kitchen to check over the table one last time, and then she takes her seat.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Mami has known Kyouko longer than anybody else who is still alive. This is both true and very depressing. But the fact of the matter is, she knows how to manipulate the redhead better than anyone else. ANd singsonging 'pieeee' at her is a good way to do it. Plus, her beef with Mami was more the kind of spat people who have known each other forever get into- it wasn't a genuine blood feud like her anger at Homura.

    So after a moment, she turns back around, and sighs, moving to help grab some of the pies as well. "Yeah, alright. Fine. But I don't want any sass from you, or you're out on your ass." She sniffs slightly, as it to say, 'so there', and then retreats back towards the kitchen.

    When the timer goes off, she helps ferry things to the table. And before long, there's a /lot/ of food on the table. Kyouko grins, all troubles forgotten in the face of a feast, and finds a seat, probably next to Sayaka regardless of the other arrangements.

    Then she begins to eat. This is a single-minded endeavor for Kyouko. Don't be surprised if she fails to contribute to the conversation for a little while.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Mami-san, you made it. And you brought pie!" Madoka chimes in not long after Sayaka does, not immediately going over to help carry the pies only because Homura offers to herself as soon as she opens the door. She pointedly stops talking about Puella Magi related things herself because she really does want to have a nice dinner with everyone sitting down together. If her words aren't going to get through to people tonight maybe just giving them all a nice happy memory together will help.

    Okay, maybe a nice memory where they're at least being civil with one another.

    She can't help but notice the way Kyouko is acting around Mami either, giving the redhead a curious look as she turns her back and huffs. This brings a smile and a quiet giggle from Madoka, though she covers her mouth to hide it.

    When the bell rings she goes into the kitchen and retrieves the Turkey herself after turning off the oven. She disappears back into the kitchen before returning a moment later with a large carving knife and fork and a happy expression on her face.

    Rather than handing them off, she sets about carving the turkey up herself (she saw her father carve one just a few hours ago so it's fresh in her memory!), slicing off pieces onto the platter and also placing nice fresh pieces directly onto the other girls plates if they ask her.

    "Eat up, everyone!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka turns away from the stereo and beams as she settles down in a seat next to Kyouko (and probably as far away from Homura as possible), taking a few slices of turkey and pouring some gravy and cranberry sauce over it, adding some potatoes and veggies before digging in herself.

    Boy is she ever starved! Hey, it's been a long day, and she just wants to fill her tummy with good food and listen to relaxing music and forget about all the disturbing things that Homura is telling her about a Puella's life.

    "Well then everyone...Happy Thanksgiving!"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe is all smiles as she seems to at least avoid any trouble with the other girls - which is a little miracle of its own.

"It's good to see all of you still safe and happy." Safe is more directed at Kyouko and Homura, but happy at Madoka. "And all the food looks so good!" she says, sitting down." Happy Thanksgiving, indeed. Mami leans back a bit and takes in the atmosphere. Food, potential allies, and the soft music. It is very nice.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura glances around. Sayaka doesn't like her, that's not new. Kyouko doesn't like her, nothing new there either. Mami at least doesn't hate her, and that's something she hasn't had for a while.

... and Madoka...

... Homura's gone six months without needing to reset because of something terrible happening to Madoka. Maybe it's sad to see that as a bright side, but it's well beyond anything she's ever managed before. That's something to be thankful for.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka takes her own seat once she is done carving the turkey, sitting down next to Homura. "Happy Thanksgiving!" She takes a little bit of everything and eats slowly, savoring all the good food.

    Things might not be perfect. Some people are upset with each other to varying degrees. It's only a matter of time until the next Witch attacks or some other calamity arises. But for now she's able to sit down and eat with her friends and those she would be friends with, relax, and enjoy herself.

    And that makes her very happy.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami smiles at Madoka and Homura. It's a genuine smile, even for Mami. She waits, politely, until she's finished some of the food on her plate, and she looks across at Homura. "Akemi-san, I know we won't always see eye to eye on everything. But... this might seem a bit odd to you, but I feel like sitting together like this with smiles on our faces is a much better way for things to go than any other, so I'm willing to do my best to try to keep it just like this."

This is an olive branch - one that will likely be broken sooner or later, when she gets more attached to the girl at Homura's side. All the same though, it does feel like the right thing to say, even with all of the chaos that has swirled around them thusfar since Homura's arrival in Mitakihara city - or at least, in THIS Mitakihara city.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Mami's words earn a sideways glance from Homura, who is paused in the middle of eating a piece of turkey. After a moment's hesitation she continues eating, and when she's done she looks down at her plate.

"That's very like you, Mami-san. If it's all the same, I'd rather not get into pointless fights." Still, Homura seems a bit hesitant to trust Mami, regardless of what she says.

"If it's at all possible, I'd much rather we al just got along, despite our differences."

That's a huge half-truth. It's not that she's lying. It's just that she believes, deep down, that everyone getting along is an idealistic fantasy. The way she smiles when she says seems a little off, like she's doing it to be polite instead of really feeling it.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I agree," Madoka says almost as soon as Mami says her piece. "It's much better to be able to sit down and have a meal together than to do silly things like pointing weapons at one another. Even if life can be difficult, surely this must be the better way." It's that same optimism Madoka usually shows, and that same naivete that shows just how poorly suited to the life of a Puella Magi she really is. She'd much rather try to get along with everyone, even if they don't have her best interests at heart.

    She continues eating and smiles when Homura responds as well, though it fades just the tiniest bit when she looks over at the dark haired Puella. Her stonyfaced blank expression is impenetrable to Madoka. Her false smiles not so much- or at least not when there mere feet from each other like that.

    "Even if they aren't pointless I can't stand seeing magical girls fighting each other. They should be fighting Witches, or Youma, or that 'Dark Kingdom', but not each other..." It's almost an aside, the way she says it, quietly and in a soft voice.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami contemplates both of the girl's reactions while chewing on some amazing food. Madoka's dad really can cook! "This food is delicious. My compliments to whoever helped make it." she says - always manners and correctness, even if a bit late.

Mami blinks. "I'm not sure you've been around me enough, Akemi-san, to know what's like me. But I will take it as a compliment." she says, and bows her head a bit. "Kaname-san, I wish it would be that way too. But when people have two competing philosophies, sometimes words fail. I've certainly experienced it before. All I can do is fight for the best things, and hope people follow me in that."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura stays oddly quiet, maybe even getting a little angry. She eats her food in relative silence, trying to swallow her tongue before she says something unpleasant.

... but the way they talk about things is really starting to tick her off. As if it's easy to just throw your weapon down and assume the other will do the same. As if lowering your guard is even an option. As if...!

Homura keeps her silence. Hiding it behind her blank eyes. At least that's not an expression she needs to fake.

Maybe Homura coming here was a bad idea.

It's actually Mami who calms her down a bit.

"If people want to avoid a fight, then they have to be willing to compromise. Someone who's unwilling to do that is going to get caught in a fight... but don't get me wrong. There are some things that a person should never compromise on."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka smiles to Mami, "My father made much of it; he's an amazing cook. And Sayaka's salad is very good!" She made sure some of her friends addition was on her plate.

    She closes her eyes a little and takes a drink of water to hide her expression as Mami talks about Homura not being around her enough to know her. She knows exactly how bad she can be at keeping secrets and she needs a moment to remind herself that that one is something Homura should reveal herself, if she ever decides it's right.

    "I suppose that's true," she replies to the mention of compromise, letting out a little sigh while thinking about Sayaka. At least a normal girl being terribly upset at Homura isn't likely going to cause much harm, even if she is Madoka's best friend. "I know it's too idealistic to think Magical Girls will never have philosophies that will bring them into conflict with each other, but I don't think it's wrong to think they shouldn't have to."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami smiles. "Well tell your Father thank you from me!" she adds, with no small amount of enthusiasm, before she returns to delicately dancing around the subject at hand. "I think you've had a meeting with one of the reasons why that can't work." she says, placing her hands in her lap. "Not everyone is on the side of what's right, on the side of protecting others. Some people are out only for themselves and their own interests." She tries REALLY hard not to look at Homura, but fails. She at least manages to only side-eye her.

"So while we all hope everyone makes the right decisions and behaves in the right way, it's like Akemi-san says - there are things people shouldn't comprimise on. Real, deep beliefs. And if two people have differing beliefs... then you get conflict."

Homura Akemi has posed:
"It would be very nice if I never had to fight another magical girl ever again," concedes Homura. "After all, the Witches we fight, even the really strong ones, are nothing compared to what's out there. There are Witches capable of wiping out entire cities, after all. With Witches like that around, it's stupid to have to fight amongst ourselves."

"Wasting Grief Seeds, fighting over territory, fighting to prove some kind of 'point'... all of that is stupid. We ensure our own destruction when we do that, and I wont pretend that I don't hate it, even if it's sometimes necessary. Necessary evils are still evil."

Homura notices the side-eye from Mami. Mostly because she's side-eyeing her right back.

"There's only one Puella Magi I've ever met who could actually live up to that standard of selflessness, Mami-san. Even those who start with the best intentions end up doing the most horrible things when pushed too far."

Homura takes another bit of meat and bites.

"... Before Kyouko came, I was actually trying to make a group of Puella Magi who would look after each other, share Grief Seeds, and prepare themselves to take on bigger and more powerful witches. Then I got involved in WPS, and I thought they'd help with that... but instead Kyouko came along and started fights between everyone, and Miss White's retaliation against her just made things worse. Even the girls I originally had on my team died. So... it's not like I haven't tried doing things that way before. It just doesn't work."

Homura takes a moment to chew her food, thinking that over.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I'll tell him; he'll be very happy to hear you enjoyed it so much, Mami-san!" Madoka replies, eating some more and having almost cleared her plate now as she listens to Mami speak. "I know that's true, that some people are only able to think of themselves. I also know that some people are only pretending to be that way." Miss White did specifically ask her not to tell people of the -good- things she does. Such an odd request.

    "I think it would be better for people like that to just be honest with everyone about their intentions... but I also know that it's not my decision, and since I'm not a magical girl I can't possibly understand what all of you are going through. I can only see how things look from the outside." Is she an outsider, she wonders? She has a good number of Magical Girl friends now, but how many are hiding things from her and holding her at arms length because they're afraid she'll get hurt? Most of them, probably.

    Homura's talk of a single Puella Magi who's been able to live up to Mami's standards gets her attention. "Who is that, Homura-chan?" She wonders if she's met the girl, whoever she is. She'd kind of like to, with an endorsement like that.

    Things get a bit sadder when Homura talks about friends that died. That's how Madoka looks at it- not just a group of mutually benefiting allies, but friends. "I'm sorry to hear about your friends, Homura-chan." She reaches over and lightly sets her hand on Homura's forearm, if she doesn't pull away. "I can't imagine how painful that must have been for you." No more idealistic words follow up this time, just her consolation.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami nods to Homura. "No, it doesn't always work." She's thinking - perhaps loudly - of Kyouko. "But that doesn't mean it's okay to give up on your hopes for the future. Because that's one thing we have in common with the other magical girls. Yes, Puella Magi are different, but we're also the same. Hope is our strongest ally." Mami, of course, has no idea just how true that statement is.

"That's why I've been working with this bigger group I found. I haven't had much success with other Puella Magi alone, but I've been helping out Virtue; hunting witches with them and showing other people how to fight them. Because having someone to rely on is... really important. Not just in battle, either. It makes being a Puella Magi easier."

Not wanting to sugarcoat things for Madoka, she nods. "I've seen friends die too. I think that's not unqiue to us - but it's more common. We're very strong - but we're also fragile in ways the other girls don't seem to be. Still though..." she says, with a pause to dab her mouth with a napkin "If I had all the information I do now, when I made the contract - I still would've made the contract. I would've changed my WISH slightly, but I would've made the contract with Kyubey. I'm sure you would have too, Akemi-san." she says, but is curious to know if she's right about this.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura glances towards Madoka, then can't help but smile as she asks 'Who is that, Homura-chan?'. Homura shakes her head, how can she really answer that? "Madoka-chan, I can't answer that. I wouldn't want to draw attention to her."

No, saying that Madoka is that kind of person in front of Mami would only encourage the senpai's efforts to recruit her.

Then Madoka comments on Homura's story. "It was painful. It's that kind of pain I'd like to spare you from," says Homura. She pulls out a Grief Seed and looks at it. Mami might recognize it, if she can remember that far back. She was there during the carnival witch. "They were friends of mine... but... we also knew this was a possibility."

Mami says that she's been working with another group. Virtue, huh? So, Homura hasn't been the only one to have that idea. Well, Mami is also a veteran at this. Maybe Homura shouldn't be surprised. It's actually a relief, in some ways.

"Virtue, is it? I think I've heard of them before. Well, if their powers let them get away with doing that kind of thing without dying, more power to them. I wish you better luck than I had, Mami-san."

Then the comment about making her wish is said. The question is asked. Homura pauses. "I would've reworded my wish... but... I don't regret it. Some things are worth the cost."

It's only after she says it that she regrets saying it in front of Madoka.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is the third wheel in this conversation, but she actually doesn't mind it. There's a dynamic of two Puella Magi speaking to each other about very important things, and it seems that while they are talking like this they're getting through to each other. Maybe Kyouko and Sayaka aren't seeing eye to eye with Homura, but for the moment Mami might just be able to. She hears Homura's response to her question and nods gently. She'll probably figure it out tonight once she thinks back on it but for now it's a mystery, much like Homura herself.

    She listens to them both but quietly excuses herself, sneaking off into the kitchen. A few minutes later she's back, setting down a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Mami and Homura, eyes closed and smiling while making a tiny soft happy sound. It's Mamoru's house, so naturally the tea is of very good quality.

    'Some things are worth the cost.' That's a very odd comment to suddenly get Madoka blushing, isn't it Mami?

    The girl leans forward and lightly hugs Homura around the shoulders from behind, seemingly from out of nowhere.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami nods, taking a drink. "It's not an easy life. That's never something I'll claim to anyone. I don't like to sugarcoat the risks." Mami will, of course, accentuate the positives and the overall coolness. But that's an entirely different issue.

Mami looks at the grief seed. She doesn't know that it /is/ one of Homura's allies, so she only presumes it means one of them fell getting the seed. "Witch hunting is dangerous work."

"I've still been doing a lot of the hunting myself. Otherwise, I think I'd have more seeds stored up than I do. But they've been helping - and they've also hunted a lot of familiars, which helps me a lot. Since familiars don't drop grief seeds, but they still need to be stopped before they hurt people."

"I'm sorry, Kaname-san." Mami says, stopping herself a bit. "You got us all here to have a party, and I'm here airing out my business and the depressing side of it." Mami bows her head a bit. "My apologies. Sometimes it's still hard to keep that all seperate. And it's rare I get a chance to talk to Akemi-san."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura returns Madoka's hug, maybe a bit sheepishly. Well, she may as well just say it. She can only throw her life on the line so many times before people figure out what her goals are. It's not like her goals are all that complex.

Homura takes the fresh tea and takes a sip of it, saying, "Thank you, Madoka-chan."

Still hunting by yourself, Mami? Homura glances over at her. "You don't have to. Hunt by yourself, I mean. There are a lot of people willing to help. Sure, some of them are shady, but also some of them aren't."

Granted, the people that Homura's thinking about work for Virtue anyways, so Mami will run across them sooner or later if she hasn't already.

Homura isn't sure what she thinks about the familiars. "It's true that they don't drop Grief Seeds, but they're also weaker and you can get away with using less magic. At least, in the average case."

Homura isn't against hunting familiars, or at least she isn't claiming to be.

"It is rare for us to talk, isn't it, Tomoe-san? I guess we're both busy all the time."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "You're welcome, Homura-chan," Madoka replies. She doesn't keep hugging onto her forever- though she actually might just if she didn't think it'd embarrass the other girl. Homura can get embarrassed- this is something Madoka has learned!

    She then gives a gentle shake of her head, "It's okay, I don't mind. We might not be laughing, but I'm enjoying the time I'm spending here. It's very nice to be able to sit down and talk calmly about our problems like this. If we were able to do it more often, it might help everyone see eye to eye more often." She allows herself a small laugh then, "But if you want it to feel like more of a party, we could have some of the pie you brought!"

    She takes her own seat again after retrieving a third cup of tea, this one for herself, turning her eyes to the grief seed Homura produced. "Those things... they're the only way you can restore your magic, right? I think Puella Magi are the only kinds of magical girls I've met that need something like that. It's no wonder you're both so busy, having to collect them." She stays silent on the subject of familiars. Personally, she's conflicted on the matter. Of course she thinks the best way is to save every person you possibly can- but if a Puella dies when they run out of magic, can she actually blame them for doing otherwise?

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami can take a hint - and a good time to make a dignified exit - as she gets up and gets one of the pies, cutting it into neat little slices, and bringing three plates in - still managing to elegantly balance them. She sets one in front of each of the girls.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the cake even more than sitting in on the conversation." she says, honestly. Then she looks at Madoka. "Well, fighting witches is what Puella Magi do. And... I think it's not right to let other people get hurt just to keep yourself alive. Your job is to protect people. If you don't kill familiars for some reason... you're not really being a magical girl. You're abusing it. You already got your payment for this life of battle when you made your wish."

Mami looks dead at Madoka for this one. "That's why you should really think about your wish, really consider it. Because that IS what you earn for your hard work. And it all comes at once."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The pie is set in front of her and the happy noise Madoka makes is much less subdued this time. Almost as soon as it's down she cuts a small piece off the front and tastes it, a high, "Mmmm!" letting Mami know just how much she enjoys it. "It's very good!"

    She eats another bite or two of pie before Mami looks at her pointedly as she speaks, pausing for a moment. From what she knows that's true; Puella Magi exchange a life of battle with Witches for a single miraculous wish.

    Then Mami speaks to her directly and says something that causes her to nearly drop her fork. "Eh?! Me? That's- but-! I haven't even decided whether I'm going make a wish at all, Mami-san. It's true that I think I would enjoy being a magical girl, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to life a life like that, filled with battle and conflict. If it was just Witches than maybe..."

    She looks down for a moment, avoiding Mami's gaze to think before looking up with a slightly sad smile, "It's like you said. When magical girls have opposing beliefs it leads to conflict. I'm not sure that's something I could handle right now."