754/Let's Play A Game

Let's Play A Game
Date of Scene:	26 December 2015
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Old Church
Synopsis:	Anshi is attacked by a classic board games witch. Mami to the rescue! Bonus Homu angst cameo after the main show.
Cast of Characters:	Sachiko Hayakawa, Homura Akemi, Mami Tomoe

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Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
December 26th; the day after Christmas, and a time for good cheer. At least for most of the world. Anshi Hayakawa, however, did not have a good Christmas. She scrounged and scraped all the money she could out of her household's food budget, just so that she could buy her little sister a small doll as a present from Santa Claus. Yet still, her drunken mother had to ruin that experience by accusing her of stealing from the family for her own selfish wants.

Then, of course, the woman proceeded to get drunk. Again. What a way to spend Christmas. At least her little sister had enjoyed the doll, and hadn't seemed to notice the fight between mother and daughter.

"Maybe it's for the best," Anshi murmurs to herself, as she stands near the front of the old church in Pikarigaoka. Her little sister is down for a nap, her mother is once again getting drunk (and it's only a few hours after lunchtime), and for once Anshi feels like she might possibly spare a few minutes for herself.

She doesn't have long, though; soon, the girl will have to get back home, to fix dinner, clean the house, and ensure both her mother and her sister are safe.

"God," she asks, looking up at the sky, "If you're there, do you think ... maybe you could just give me something? I can't keep doing this, day in and day out. Just send my dad back to us, okay? Please? I'm sure everything would be better, if he were here."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Anshi and her sister are here for a simple post-Christmas prayer. It's not a bad wish, hoping for a better life, and a happier family. Certainly she couldn't be blamed for wanting such a thing. However...

... the presence that answers Anshi is nowhere near as benevolent as the God that Anshi hopes to reach.

There is, for one moment, a terrible sense of dread that descends upon the church. Then it's replaced by a strange sense of... happiness? It's certainly a free, light feeling... but it's far too terrible to be healthy. It's the promise of a way out, a promise of freedom from all pain, at a very simple, though final, cost.

There is a strange giggling all around the church. Something is very wrong here. Something is calling out to the two girls, trying to lure them, to bait them, to tempt them. Yet whatever this creature is, it has yet to show its face.

Come with me. I'll make all your pain go away.

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi hesitates at the sudden sense of dread. "Hello?" she asks of the empty church. She honestly hadn't even meant to be here as long as she already has; she just wanted to say a prayer and get a little time to herself.

The giggling echoes all around her, and Anshi turns concernedly, glancing to and fro. "Who's there!?" she calls out. It's only a step, just one step, that she takes towards the exit. That's all it takes to put her into a very, very dangerous situation.

Homura Akemi has posed:
That was the wrong step to take.

Suddenly the church looks very wrong.

Wait, no, actually, the church is just completely gone. There are signs of crosses and stained glass floating in the air, but the carpeted floor has been completely replaced by a checkerboard pattern. Suddenly Anshi finds herself in a long hallway, lined by pillars that look like chess pieces. Bishops, specifically.

The laughing grows louder and more intense. Yes, come child. Come closer! Come to me!

Two large discs, one red in the lead and one black following, roll down the long corridor. Each of them is larger than Anshi by a considerable margin, and they are headed straight for her.

If they run her over, which they seem to be aiming to do, it would be very hazardous to her health.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe is out today, too. But rather than being full of either good cheer or despair, Mami is just full of purpose. She's not in her henshin, but her Soul Gem is in her hand, the golden light pulsating from it as she holds it in this form rather than keeping it as a ring.

It's like this because just like any other day, Mami is spending her time hunting witches. A specific Witch she has been tracking. And it's lead her to the old church, the same church that Anshi is in, the same witch that just pulled her into its twisted Labrynth.

A heel dragged along the floor, a curtain a flowers and light, and Mami is in her henshin, using the energy from her Soul Gem to push open an entrance to the labrynth. With nobody else around (she thinks) to educate or lead, she's just moving quickly, eyes on the goal, focused and stern. She rushes down the chess hallway - and then suddenly there's a girl! A civlian!

And giant red and black discs hurtling towards the girl! Mami acts on instinct and training as much as anything, one hand making a loop of ribbon with her left hand and jerking the girl out of the way of the first disc, and then she creates a matchlock rifle with her second hand and fires a burst of explosive shot down the hallway, obliterating the second disc. That gun is disposed of and Mami draws another one, pointing it down the hallway before asking the girl "Are you alright?"

It's a silly question, of course. Most people who find themselves in these places are anything but alright.

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
This is so far outside of the world Anshi expected to find when she turned away from the altar at the church. And yet, even staring death in the face, she doesn't scream out. In fact, it seems like she might almost be accepting of the pain she's about to receive.

Almost, until a ribbon wraps around her waist. It's as she's pulled aside that Anshi finally lets out a yelp of startlement. She goes tumbling into the side of the labyrinth room, then stares confusedly up at Mami Tomoe. "I'm fine," she says, though she sounds more bewildered than 'fine'. "Where are we? What's going on?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
The black disc explodes into plastic chips under Mami's direct fire, but the red one rolls right past the two girls. Further on down the hall, it stops as if hitting an invisible barrier, spins in place, and slowly loses speed as its spin becomes more and more flat.

Once flat on the ground, it doubles in thickness, and then immediately flips itself upright again.

A low rumbling is heard further down the hall, from where the first two came from, as several more red and black disks roll into view. There must be at least twenty of them, as far as Mami and Anshi can see, with the promise of more coming down the hall.

It's then that the first red one begins to roll again, this time trying to crash into Mami. The two girls are trapped between the army and the now-larger red disk, and the enemy is quickly closing in on them from both sides.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami smiles at the girl a bit - even as the discs begin to attack in earnest. Strange familiars - but also in a way sort of normal compared to a lot of what she sees. She pushes Anshi behind her, and a large compliment of guns appears in front of her.

"Just stay behind me. Everything will be okay." she says. Mami begins to draw the guns from in front of her, one in each hand, and blast away at the hordes of checkers as they roll into view, drawing guns from thin air when the set in front of her run out.

Once she realizes that the target has changes from the girl to her, she stops for a moment, putting an opaque barrier of golden magical energy around her. "Just stay here." She says, and she begins trying to fight up against the neverending rolling barrage, each magical bullet finding a home.

The red chip from behind nearly crashes into Mami, and she saves herself only by throwing a ribbon up to what passes for the roof of this church and swinging away from it - plugging it with rounds too, she's now still holding various ropes and running along the walls, drawing and firing guns, trying to clear out the horde of what she presumes are this witches' familiars.

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi regains her feet as Mami steps in front of her. She watches in awe as the blonde begins tearing through the rolling discs one after another. "I must have fallen asleep," she observes confusedly. "This must be a dream. I feel like Alice," she says, then laughs just a little at her own joke.

The brunette follows a step behind Mami, but then leaps back out of the way when she spots the red chip rolling towards them from behind. "Look out!" she calls to Mami, but the puella's already on top of it, pulling herself up to the ceiling with a ribbon. "So cool," Anshi observes, eyes widening in surprise.

Homura Akemi has posed:
The red and black discs very much are the familiars of this Witch, as Mami correctly guesses. The rolling familiars rush towards the magical firing squad of muskets, charging into the hail of magical fire, only to get torn into plastic (or at least, a magical material that looks like plastic) chips as bullets tear through them.

Mami brings to bear enough magical stopping power to take out a lot of the small fry, and indeed in such a narrow corridor it's much like the proverbial shooting of fish in a barrel. By the time she's done, half of the hall is a mess of red and black plastic chips, as well as fallen stone and crushed bishops that were hit by stray gunfire.

As for the larger red disc that is addressed last, one round smashes through it, making a hole in the middle. The second round clips it on the side, and while that might be only a glancing blow for most familiars, in this case it ruins the round surface and removes its ability to roll around. The kinged familiar stops suddenly upon trying to roll over the damaged rim, and then falls over like the others, shattering.

That narrow hallway suddenly widens into a large ballroom, still complete with a checkered floor. Now those bishops, whom before were more than happy to sit by and watch, begin to slide along the ground, trying to ram into Mami and Anshi both. Pawns rise out of the ground, like melting in reverse, complicating the terrain and trying to trap the two girls.

On one end of the large ballroom is an ever-growing monsterous shape of diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs. If one squints and tilts their head at the right angle, they might notice that the arrange ment those card shapes vaguely start to resemble a face. Several lines of rooks arise to stand between Mami and the cardbeast that is slowly revealing itself as the Witch.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami looks down the hallway to the wide ballroom, and to the witch at the core of the Labrynth. Then, back to Anshi - especially given her comment about Mami being cool - and she swings over, grabbing her. "Jeeze, this one has made a lot of friends." she says, to Anshi, but also in general, a sigh of almost exasperation.

The pawns rise up - and then the bishops try to come slamming in! There's so many, and they're not at all small - but they're moving along the ground. So, with Anshi in her grasp, Mami moves through the air instead, ribbon to ribbon, over the threats - though occasionally she has to blast one or two. Or maybe she's just doing the shooting with her spare hand because it makes her look 'cool'.

While she tries to keep both of them safe, Mami also explains to the girl. "You found yourself in a witch's labrynth. You let your bad feelings overwhelm you, and that's why this monster let you in. But don't worry."

"I'll keep you safe - that's what magical girls do!"

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi is busy being too distracted by Mami's swinging act to realize the danger to herself. It's not until she hears the sound of a rook crashing nearby that the girl really realizes just how much trouble she's in. "Oh, oh geeze," she chimes, voice quivering a little as she starts to back away from the oncoming thing.

Except she doesn't have to back away, because Mami scoops her up heroically. Anshi yelps again, but wraps her arms around Mami's neck for balance as the blonde carries her away to safely. "Bad feelings?" Anshi asks, blinking in surprise. "No, I couldn't have," she murmurs.

But she did, didn't she? She was just thinking how much easier life would be without her little sister; without her mother. With neither of them to worry about, wouldn't it all be so much less trouble?

"I'm sorry," Anshi says to Mami, as she continues to hold on tight. "I'll be more careful," she promises. "But this is the coolest dream I've ever had."

Homura Akemi has posed:
The Witch screams loudly, the bizzare inhuman noise sounding like both frustration and rage. Not only did she not get to devour the life of its chosen prey, but the obnoxious Puella Magi is interrupting her and refusing to die! These aren't the rules that this Witch wanted to play by. Is she the only one around here who cares about the rules?

As Mami swings safely overhead, picking off pawns and bishops alike as they explode into fragments, the Witch grows in fury. Fortunately, there's still two types of pieces that the Witch hasn't brought into play yet.

Plastic horseheads, Knights presumably, fly into the air on wings. Can knights fly? These can. They don't seem to be restricted by the same rules of movement as the other pieces. Their flighty is a strange zig-zag as they approach Mami and try to smash into her. The Witch is expecting some of them to get shot down, but she's trying to distract Mami with overwhelming numbers.

Near the Witch, behind the defensive rows of rooks, a single large card rises, depicting the double-headed image of a crowned lady holding a flower in each hand, with a large letter Q imposed upon the corner. The double-headed image of a lady begins to stir and move, reaching out and then leaving the surface of the card, casting aside its 2D home to become a 3D creature. The twin-headed monster floats in the air, as the card backing falls away behind her, and her two flowers become long swords.

Those two swords slide against each other as the Queen stares down at Mami. It's clear that if Mami wants to get to the Witch, she'll have to get past the Queen.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami smiles again. "Well, it's at least probably best if you think of it like a dream, sure." she says, as the winged knights come into view. She begins to fire at them but there are so many coming that she ends up batting some away with her rifles, using them like clubs. There's no pushing forward with Anshi in her grip, so she comes down and sets her atop a peice of the field that's jutted out like an overhang, with another shield as she backflips off the overhang, shooting and batting at the knights as they fly in...

It takes her some time to get the area clear so she can continue to fight, and then there's that queen.

"Oh, you mean to get in my way. Well..." she says, smiling, and curtsying. When she does that, two more guns fall out of either side of her dress, and she fires them at the queen, too.

Mami is perfectly willing to go through any number of game-based enemies to get to the Queen - especially since she cleansed her grief seed before the fight. That's good - since she's showing off a little, shooting some of the rounds into the ground behind the queen, small flowers begining to sparkle.

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi drops down to a seat, dangling her feet over the edge of the outhang as she watches the fight going on around her. From so high up, there's really nothing else she can do except stay quiet, but she does grip the edge with both hands and lean forward, hoping to get a better view.

She's not disappointed. Little flowers, ribbons, and guns everywhere. This blonde magical girl must be, in her opinion, the coolest person alive. "So graceful," she murmurs quietly. "So elegant and pretty. It must be amazing, to be a magical girl."

Homura Akemi has posed:
The Queen always was the strongest chess piece, and the second most important to the game. That's probably why it doesn't go down as quickly as the others, even as Mami's rounds blast through it, the monsterous Queen only charges at the Puella Magi, twin blades in her hand.

The flying knights are either blasted with gunfire or smashed with the butt of Mami's rifles. Either way, they are quickly dispatched by the veteran Puella. Some of them are blasted or smashed in the wing, and go careening into the checkered ground, shattering as they hit the floor. Others never make it to the ground, a dead-center blast cutting a hole right through them. For the moment, the familiars seem to all be ignoring Anshi, as Mami has managed to draw all attention onto her. The prey, after all, will be just as tasty after the battle as she is now, but the Puella Magi needs to be dealt with in a hurry.

The Witch made of swirling and stirring Card symbols seems content to stay defended, playing the King in this chess game. By that logic, it might not have much in the way of actual attacks.

The Queen more than makes up for that lacking, however, as it charges up to Mami unfettered, swinging its shining blades at the blonde musketeer.

Killing the Queen is probably going to be difficult, as even with several holes in it the monsterous familiar fights on as if nothing was wrong, but considering the 'rules' of chess it might also be unnecessary.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
With the Queen still staring down at her, Mami finishes off the rest of the familiars of various swarming natures. It's then that she chooses to flash a bit of a cheeky, almost superheroine grin at the girl she rescued earlier, Anshi.

This proves to be a very bad choice, because that's when the Queen of this chess game moves in, blades gleaming - and Mami almost misses out on it. She generates a short-lived barrier of ribbons just in time to protect herself from a lethal slashing, but still the impact force of the blade connects to her, and she flies back with a cloud of dust, slamming into one of the walls of the labrynth!

It's a few moments before she staggers out. "Okay, you didn't see that." she says with a half grin.

The Queen is still active, though, and as she barrels down on Mami, there's a burst of ribbons that appear from the ground where she was shooting earlier, aiming to tie the Queen up.

As this is happening, Mami generates what could only rightly be called an arsenal of matchlock muskets, an entire field of them, bearing down on the queen. "You can't just make me look bad in front of a new friend!"

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi's waves as Mami flashes her that grin, but then her eyes widen and she points, "Look out!"

But apparently it wasn't necessary. Mami's ribbon shield only draws a soft, "whoa," of approval, and Anshi continues leaning over the edge, watching as the puella does her work.

Homura Akemi has posed:
The Queen reflects no mirth, no joy, even as its blades impact the ribbon-shielded Mami. The giant familiar doesn't seem to express any emotion at all, despite having two faces. It blankly stares continues to charge at the Puella Magi, raising its gleaming blades with murderous intent, even as the other familiars all fall around it.

The ribbons rise out of the ground, reaching up and grappling the Witch. It struggles against the binds, attempting to cut the ribbons with its large swords, but eventually its two arms are tied to its side and unable to move. The blood-freezing shriek that results comes from the Witch itself, while the Queen blankly stares.

For the moment, the Witch is vulnerable. Most of its pieces are killed and captured. The mass of card emblems that loosely resembles a face begins to swirl around in a panic, trying to flee down a hallway that has opened up behind her.

Too bad Mami's a ranged fighter.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami smiles. "Sorry, but I've been hunting you too long to let you just get away so you can try to eat more people." she says, her voice a mixture of amusement and faux politeness.

With the Queen held, and the witch running, Mami's aiming to resolve both problems in one blast. This, too, is perhaps flashiness; familiars don't survive long without their witch - but she can't resist the two-for-one.

She does a back jump onto the platform near Anshi. "You might want to cover your ears." she suggests as her ribbons quickly converge into a giant weapon complete with bipod - a gun the size of a howitzer.

"TIRO..." she begins, and a large amount of energy collects at the barrel. "FINALE~!" she finishes as the gun fires with a massive recoil and a huge explosive shot of yellow energy surges forward, aiming to pierce the queen and the witch herself in one massive attack!

Mami may have winked when she fired it.

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Cover her ears? But that would require cowering! Anshi does no such thing. Instead, she grabs the ledge even tighter and leans forward to watch.

This leaves the very-non-magical-girl with a ringing in her ears, but that's nothing she isn't used to from the loud banging that's sometimes necessary in shop class!

"Jeeze, you're amazing!" she shouts over the sound of the ringing in her ears. "Just like a magical girl from the animes! It's so cool!"

Homura Akemi has posed:
The Queen struggles against her bonds, trying to swing its blades against the ribbons, but its struggles amount to nothing, and its attempts at swinging come off as little more than wobbling. There's nothing it can do but watch as Mami summons a gun that's bigger than she is.

The blast rings out, the beam of yellow smashing into the Queen, and the giant familiar trembles and flails even as it disintegrates under the force of Mami's wrath. Those twin blades fall to the ground before turning into dust.

The Queen was powerful, but not powerful enough. Its body wasn't even enough to fully block the beam that is now heading right for the Witch itself. It was barely even a delay, certainly not enough of one to allow the Witch to escape.

And so the Witch soon finds that furious golden beam chasing her down and impacting, inhumanly screaming as it tears through her and overcomes her, ending her murderous reign not with a whimper, but with a bang.

After the Witch is torn apart, dissolving into nothing, the Labyrinth begins to waver and fade, soon depositing Anshi and Mami back into the church.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami runs over to where the witch fell, leaning down to pick up the Grief Seed that it deposits - a little black needle with a chess king design in the center of the sphere - before she runs back over to Anshi.

"Well, I am a magical girl, but this isn't an anime." Mami says, looking at the camera for a moment and winking before she turns back to Anshi. "But the witch is gone, now."

There's a sudden blur of white as a small, furry, long-eared and red eyed animal? of some sort rushes out from behind a bit of rubble in the church, hopping onto Mami's shoulder. "You did well today, Mami." Kyubey says, then turns to Anshi.

"Most normal people can't keep any awareness in a Witch's Barrier." he says, staring at her intently. "The fact that you did means that you could become a magical girl like Mami!" Kyubey says, excitedly. Then Mami reaches over and gives the little creature some Very Aggressive Pets. "Not right now. Let the girl get her wits about her, catch her breath."

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi winds up falling onto a pew, when the labyrinth dissolves around her. She blinks in surprise and looks around, confused.

Her confusion is only compounded by the sudden appearance of the small lop-eared creature. "Wait, that was real?" she asks, as she leans forward towards the creature. "Whaaaaaaat!?"

Anshi's eyes widen very sharply, and she bounds up out of the pew, then turns around once, twice, to investigate the church on the whole.

"Holy shit," Anshi observes, because obviously it's okay to curse in a church? "Was I really in danger!?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura Akemi walks into the church, in henshin, just in time to see Mami pick up the Grief Seed. She sighs and throws her hands up into the air. "Of all the... I just got here and the fight's already over? Why did I even waste my time?"

She grabs her forehead, standing at the entrance, shaking her head. She drags her hand down her face, and after doing so she finally notices Anshi, and Kyubey next to her. "Who is this, Tomoe-san? Another naive, innocent girl you're trying to drag into this?"

Homura frowns at Anshi, frowns at Mami, and also frowns at Kyubey. In short, nothing is new or all that different except now she also has Anshi to frown at.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami looks over. "See, Kyubey. She's still getting her head around it all." she says. The little white creatures shakes its head a little bit, and curls up around her neck like a stole again.

"Yes, it was very real." Mami says, serious for a moment. "If I hadn't come along, the Witch - that creature - would've used your negative feelings to trap you, and you would've died."

Mami then smiles. "But that's why I spend my time hunting witches here in Tokyo, so I can protect people." And so she doesn't die herself, but that part can come later. "So I guess... all's well that ends well." she adds, walking over to the younger girl and putting a hand on her shoulder.

And that's roughly when Homura shows up - or when Mami notices her, anyways. "Akemi-san, this girl was in the Labrynth before I even got here. To say nothing of you. And yes, you're too late to this little party." she says with a smirk. Homura has earned some special ire from Mami due to working with Miss White, who Mami dislikes because of the episode with Kyouko. It's a long chain that leads to Mami not inviting Homura over for tea often.

"And I haven't even dragged anyone into this. Everyone who makes the contract does so of their own choice." Mami looks down a bit. Well, not everyone... her choices were somewhat constrained. "What are you on about today, Akemi-san? You seem even grumpier at me than usual."

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi blinks at the knowledge, slowly taking it all in. But she recovers quickly and nods her head--only to be accused of being both 'naive' and 'innocent'; two words she hates.

And so Anshi fixes Homura with her best smile and says, "If I'm naive and innocent it's only because no one's bothered to tell me anything. I'm Anshi, Anshi Hayakawa, an eighth grader at Infinity University! It's really great to meet you both. Are you a magical girl, too, Akemi-san?" Name-drops do make it so easy to be polite.

"What's a contract?" Anshi asks curiously, as she looks to Mami. "Is that how you become a magical girl?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura walks up to Mami, and keeps walking up, stopping just short of entering her personal space. She's angry, specifically, at Mami. "You know, I could just tell you that Sayaka Miki was dead. I bet that'd scare you, wouldn't it?"

Homura reaches up to flip her hair behind her. "Lucky for her, that's not true. But it would be, if someone hadn't shown up when they did. I'm curious as to how you can expect to handle another kohai when you can't even keep track of the one you currently have."

She also tilts her head. "I can tell you one thing. Sayaka Miki is not going to be my problem. I don't care whose friend she is. That was the last time I'm helping her."

Unless Madoka cries about it. Or unless Homura feels like it. Or unless it benefits her in some way. Or...

She turns her gaze towards Anshi. With a frown, she says, "No one's told you anything, Hayakawa-san? Well I'm not surprised. These two hardly tell anyone anything. That white rat is going to offer you a contract in exchange for a wish and powers. Don't take it. It's a raw deal."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami frowns at Homura, but turns to answer Anshi first. "Puella Magi - that's what I am, and Akemi-san over there - we make contracts with Kyubey. You get a wish - any wish you want, but ONLY one - and in exchange, you agree to hunt witches. Like I just did. You get to become a magical girl too. But it's not all as fun as it sounds. It can be rather hard." she admits.

"But it's not a raw deal. Not as long as you know what you're getting into. If Kyubey thinks you've got what it takes, I'm happy to show you what it all means before you commit to it." She glares at Homura. "I think Akemi-san just doesn't like the competition." she adds, her voice full of what can only be described as polite venom.

"Miki-san is a natural, and I'm sure she'll be fine with some practice. Besides, I'm not the only one looking out for her. If you're upset about her, it's not me that pushed her to make the contract." she says, stamping her booted foot on the ground in indignation. "All I did was give her the information. Just because I'm not as gloomy as you doesn't mean I'm not showing these girls the reality of what it means to be like us."

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi blinks at Homura's grumpiness, but she doesn't waver in front of it. "Well, no one's had much of a chance to tell me anything," she says to Homura honestly. "I mean, I was here saying some prayers, and then there was this weird ... well it felt like a dream, is all I can say, but Tomoe-san came and saved me, and she was amazing." Those might be heart-bubbles floating off of her, just maybe.

Anshi smiles at Homura some more, then asks, "Why is it a raw deal? You made a wish, and you seem like you're really eager to hunt these ... 'Witches'?" she asks, uncertain of the term. "What do you get out of it? What was your wish?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
"Sayaka Miki is hardly what I'd consider 'competition'," says Homura. "She'll be lucky if she doesn't get herself killed in a week. Sure, maybe, with experience, she might become a respectable Puella Magi. If she learns to watch her back and pay attention when Familiars sneak up on her from behind. If she doesn't let her heart get clouded with darkness once her idealistic fantasies are shattered."

She crosses her arms, turning her head away from both Mami and Anshi. "You don't know me at all. So don't pretend to." She turns away, about to leave, but she stops in mid step.

"There's a good chance that all of us will face a very serious problem soon. I'm not completely certain, but Walpurgisnacht might be coming soon. If my hunch is right, we can expect it to come in little over a month."

Homura half-turns around, turning to face Mami again. "I hope you and your friends don't get yourself killed before then. Regardless of how we think of each other, I don't think any of us would care to see this city get destroyed."

What Anshi says actually stops her from leaving. She turns towards the girl, walking up to her. "You thought it was a dream? Well I suppose that's better than feeling helpless and terrified."

She pauses for a moment, before deciding how to best explain herself. Mami being here is a reminder that the full truth is never a good thing. In that way, maybe Kyubey is actually smart not to share the facts, though Homura hates to admit that.

"Frankly, your wish doesn't always go as well as you expect. Also, Puella Magi have a high mortality rate. Basically, there are two kinds of Puella. There are those like Mami and I, who have been doing it for years, and there are those who die within a month or so. I'm sure you've heard the phrase before, 'those who live by the sword will die by the sword'."

Homura gestures to Mami, saying, "I'll admit that Mami is a special case. Even if she dies young, she still profited. Not every Puella can say the same."

Homura turns away from her again, saying, "As for my wish, well... that's my business."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami folds her arms across her chest as Homura talks to Anshi. She's also trying hard not to smile at the wonderful description of herself she just heard from Anshi. "Akemi-san doesn't like to admit it either, but she's also profited from her wish. Even if she won't share what it is. I've asked her before." she says firmly, and a bit abrasively.

"I've sensed it too. Kyubey's warned me as well. It's coming. I don't consider it a hunch at all, it's a guarantee. I am sure we'll have it well in hand, though. As long as your mood doesn't drive any further wedges between us. It's walpurgisnacht - we can't afford to come at it with anything less than full teamwork and strength." she says, her hands shifting to her hips.

Then, she turns to Anshi. "Look, nothing she's saying is strictly wrong, either. This isn't an easy life to live. And you should really take all the time you need to take to decide if you're going to join us, and what your wish is going to be. You only get the one wish. No takebacks. You don't want to make a mistake." she says, bluntly.

"Of course, with Walpurgisnacht coming, it's better for everyone if you wish sooner rather than later." Kyubey says from Mami's shoulders. "The faster you can kill it, the less of a chance it has of killing a lot of humans." he says.

"Oh, don't put that on her shoulders right now, Kyubey. We have plenty of us here that don't shoot on sight... at least not yet... we can handle Walpurgisnight."

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
"I see," Anshi replies quietly, but her eyes are on Kyubey when she says it. "I don't want anyone to die," she notes. "That sounds awful. But I don't know what I could possibly do to help with that." Is she talking to Kyubey? Surely not.

"I mean, I guess if I were a magical girl," Anshi explains, "then I could do something. But doesn't that require a lot of time and commitment? I'm already so busy. I don't see how I could possibly do something like that. But that's what you get for making a wish? You get to be a magical girl? That seems so one sided. Make a wish, become a magical girl. What's the other side of the contract? What would I have to do?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
"'Profited' is a strong word," says Homura, with no small amount of bitterness. "I've yet to recieve what I really wanted, but that's a problem of not considering your wish all the way through. The only thing I've said is that I don't regret it. I only hope you don't regret your choices, Hayakawa-san."

She closes her eyes as Mami responds considering Walpurgisnacht. It's a sure thing? Really... "In that case, that's all the more reason to be concerned. Still, I don't think I can rely on you. I'm forming my own team of Puella Magi, who are competent and have proven themselves, both in morals and in combat, even if part of that makes me a hypocrite. Better yet, they're neither associated with WPS... or you."

She glares daggers at Kyubey as he speaks. This isn't Madoka they're talking about, and Mami would probably defend Kyubey if Homura attacked him here. That doesn't mean she has to like him, though.

"You'd have to fight Witches in order to stay alive. That Grief Seed that Mami picked up is the kind of thing that helps us prolong our lives. You really will have a destiny of battle if you make a wish, whether you like it or not. There's no changing your mind if you find out that you can't handle it."

Homura turns to leave again, walking towards the doorway. "I don't want someone making a contract without being warned. If you make a wish, that's your business. I don't care if you live or die, but it would be inexcusable to not at least deliver a warning. And as for you, Mami..."

Homura turns to face her for a moment, saying, "I would be... relieved... to see you and the others there at the battle against Walpurgsinacht." After that, she continues heading for the door.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Homura's hostile attitude actually earns a somewhat unusual 'tch!' of hostility from Mami. It's the way she seems to put her and anyone she's working with down that actually gets a rise out of the twin-drilled girl. She'll have to talk to Akemi alone sometime. Then she lets it go quickly, because it's very undignified. "I'll be there to fight it." she says, calmly.

She turns to Anshi. "That's exactly the cost. The price you pay. You get your wish, but becoming a magical girl isn't the payment. You become a magical girl like us - a Puella Magi - so that you can pay for your wish by hunting witches. If you don't hunt them - you'll eventually die. You have to embrace a lifetime of combat. It's not a thing you should do lightly." she says, softly.

"It's not a thing you should decide tonight, for sure. You've already seen the sort of things I do. But if you'd like, I'd be happy to take you along on a few more witch hunts, so you can really understand what you're getting into."

"I'm happy I made my wish but... I still would've liked more time to decide. But for me? I didn't have that chance. So I want to be sure you do."

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi looks between the two Puella Magi, and Kyubey, and very briefly her mask seems to falter. A lifetime of fighting? How could she possibly? There's so much to do at the house; she barely has time for school, let alone being a magical girl!

The only way she could possibly do something like that is if her mother weren't constantly worthless. And the only way to make that happen ... Anshi gasps a little as she thinks it through, then shakes her head. No, there's no way she could possibly get that wish to come true. Could she?

"I'll think it through," Anshi promises quietly. "I won't make any decisions in haste." But on the other hand, if this Wolpertingernote thingie is soon, and this 'Miki' character is having to learn to be a Puella ... that means she needs to make a decision soon, if she's going to be of any use at the Wolpertingernote thingie.

"Thank you," Anshi says after a moment, before bowing to Mami. "Tomoe-san, thank you for saving me. I will give everything you've said serious thought."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Without another word, Homura walks up to the door. She takes one glance back at Anshi and Mami before she walks through.

She's still got to hunt down other Witches, after all. School being out doesn't necessarily mean time for more fun. It means time for more Witch hunting.

Especially with some very large threats right around the corner.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Before Anshi can leave, Mami smiles and walks up to her. She hands her a peice of paper. "It's my phone number." she explains. "If you want someone to talk to, or if you want to see more of what I do, just let me know."

"I'd tell you to call it if you want to speak to my friend Kyubey here, but... I'm sure he'll be around right when you need him. He's very good at being in the right place at the right time."

Sachiko Hayakawa has posed:
Anshi watches Homura go, then finds a piece of paper thrust into her hand. "Hnh?" she asks confusedly, then realizes what it is. "Oh. Th... thank you. I'd offer you mine, but I don't have a cell phone," Anshi explains with a weak smile. "But if I need something, I'll find a way to call you. Thank you, seriously, Tomoe-san. I really appreciate it."

The brown-haired girl smiles, then suddenly leans forward to wrap Mami in a very uninvited, and undignified, hug. "You're amazing," she repeats. "But I should get home. My little sister is probably about done with her nap, and I need to make sure she gets dinner on time. I'll see you again, Tomoe-san! Thank you so much!" Then she turns to dash for the entrance.