940/Preparations

Preparations
Date of Scene:	28 January 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Central Harbor
Synopsis:	Madoka helps Homura prepare for the battle with Walpurgisnacht by helping her load guns, and Homura fusses over Madoka about firearm safety. All of this happens in a raised Destroyer in the middle of the sea on a foggy day.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Homura Akemi

---

Homura Akemi has posed:
    A dense fog has settled over the harbor. It's inconvenient for most ships that might be travelling this way, but for Homura's purposes it's actually very convenient. Sortof. It'll be convenient if the lights still work on the ship she wants to raise.

    As for Homura Akemi herself, she's flying overhead, in the back seat (which is the pilot's seat) of an Apache helicopter. It being a two-seater helicopter, there's only really room for herself and Madoka. Not that she wanted to bring anyone else along with her.

    Homura is wearing a large headset with hearing protection, and Madoka's been given the same headset. Which is good, because helicopters tend to be loud.

    Madoka's also been told not to touch the controls. Most of them are pretty dangerous. She's in the gunner's seat after all.

    Homura's voice comes in through Madoka's headset. "We're coming up on our destination. I'll just have to... okay, here we go. Watch below. Can you see it?"

    Homura flies low, low enough that hints of waves can be seen through the fog. From the depths comes a large purple glow, formless at first, but as it nears the surface that form becomes more clear. It's a destroyer. One of the JDF's that was presumably sunk here. It has some serious damage to the hull.

    "Riiight. This was one of the ones I used during the White Flower incident. Well, maybe we can think of something to patch it up."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    At first Madoka was sitting in silence in the gunners seat of the attack helicopter, because this is not a place she'd ever imagined she'd be. After they're in the air for a little while the shock of it wears off and she starts to look around, enjoying the panoramic. It's a lot noisier than getting princess carried by a flying Puella, but it's a lot warmer in the enclosed cockpit as well. The fog inhibits the view a fair bit, especially as they get closer to the harbor but it's still really nice, with the tops of skyscrapers fading into view below them.

    "Thanks for taking me along, Homura-chan!" she says into her headsets microphone, hands held carefully in her lap, "I know there isn't much I can do for the actual battle, but even if it's just helping you prepare I'd glad that I get to contribute!"

    As she looks around in the water she flinches a little as the machinegun mounted on the chin of the attack helicopter cycles around with the turn of her head. It's a bit unnerving to think that she could spray death at things just by looking at them! Soon though there's purple in the water and she excitedly calls back, "I see it." This is followed shortly after by, "Oh my gosh!" as the destroyer breaks through the waves, "I had no idea you could do that to entire ships, Homura-chan. You really are amazing!"

    The pink haired girl now leans closer to the cockpit's side window, resisting the urge to put her hands up against it as water pours off of the deck of the ship. She tries to ignore the gunnery screen on the dash in front of her happily informing it could lock a missile onto the destroyer as a target if she asked it to.

    "Magic really is very powerful, isn't it?" she asks rhetorically as she looks at the battle damage the ship endured. "Even the Military wouldn't stand much of a chance against Walpurgisnacht without magic of their own, would they?" And that's assuming they could even recognize the threat for what it was in the first place.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura smiles at the back of Madoka's head as she thanks her. "I know this isn't the most romantic setting, my little angel, but if you're getting something out of this then I'm glad."

    Homura realizes that Madoka probably doesn't like being so armed, but this is the reality of the situation and flying a helicopter out here really is a lot more efficient. As the Destroyer rises, Homura maneuvers towards the helipad and settles down gently, occasionally using magic to correct her flightpath when her own piloting skills fail. Helicopters are really touchy and problematic to the untrained hand.

    As the rotors slow and the engine stops, the noise in the two cockpits becomes a lot more managable. "It is, yes. Once you really learn how to use it, there's a lot you can do. Even though I use guns and ships, I still have to enhance them with magic in order for these weapons to be effective. Especially against Walpurgisnacht."

    She shrugs as the rotor comes to a stop, and she pops open her canopy. Madoka's pops open shortly after, because magic. "... but this ship IS from the Japan Defense Force, and I'm certainly using it to defend Japan. So in a way they're still helping in spirit, and this ship gets to fulfill its intended purpose long after its death."

    Homura removes her headset, brushing her hand through her hair to make sure tha it isn't caught in anything. Then she hops out of her canopy to stand next to Madoka's reaching down to lend her a hand.

    "If you want to, you can help load some of my guns while I inspect the ship. I'll need to this ship's guns to be loading and in working order before I rely upon them. The torpedos probably wont be much use, but the missiles will probably be the most help." She looks around at the deck of the ship. "I'll have to decide if the Phalanx system is worth salvaging. Unfortunately a ship like this is still canon fodder against Walpurgisnacht, so it might not be worth the trouble, but if it could take out a few familiars it'd give us an edge."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka blushes at the pet name, partially happy and partially sad that Homura can't see her face, "It isn't the most romantic, but it's something you need to do so we can a lot more of those times together. So in a way, it really is."

    She isn't used to this, being at the weapons controls of a machine of war. And that's what it is to her, right now. It's not a magic wand or magic sword created out of nothingness to destroy evil, it's a machine built by men and women for the express purpose of killing other men and women. The fact that something like this even has to exist makes her a little sad.

    On the other hand Homura is commandeering it for the purpose of protecting the city. Once she gives it a little more thought she'll probably stop worrying about it so much. If she spent any amount of time in it it'd probably quickly become 'Homura's Helicopter' rather than a weapon of war, though that's probably unlikely considering the forces it's likely going to face.

    Madoka can't really tell when magic is taking over compared to Homura's normal flying, so the smooth landing is very impressive. She looks around as they set down and the helicopter shuts down, waiting until her canopy opens to pull off her headset, just in case doing so might accidentally shoot something. "If the JDF knew what you were doing with it I know they'd applaud your use of it, Homura-chan."

    Her own hair is a bit of a mess, pigtails all ruffled and squished and her ribbons lopsided. She takes a moment to pull out her ribbons and retie them, running her fingers through her hair a bit to straighten it. No, Madoka didn't suddenly become very vain... she's just here with her girlfriend! She suddenly is really starting to understand what her mother meant by pretending a secret admirer is always watching her; she doesn't have to pretend and the admiration isn't secret!

    When Homura stands nearby to offer her a hand down Madoka considers something briefly, only to flash Homura a bright smile. She starts to climb out of the cockpit, and then jumps down from it, holding her arms out and trying to swing them around Homura's neck as she falls, having all the trust in the world that Homura can catch her and help break her fall.

    She doesn't pull away while responding to the conversation, leaning her head against Homura's shoulder and nuzzling her cheek to it, peeking up at her sweetly. "I'd be happy to, but you'd have to show me how, Homura-chan. I've never even held a gun before, let alone loaded one. But if you teach me I promise to make sure every one of them is ready for you." At the mention of having to repair the ship again she hums, "You said this was 'one of' the ones you used against the White Flower, right? How many of these do you have? If a bunch of them are broken maybe you could take one of them apart and use it's pieces to fix all the others?"

    After a moment she blushes, "Maybe that's stupid... big ships like these probably aren't easy to take apart and mix together like legos."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura considers. Applaud her? "Well... they might. I would like to think that they would at least be okay with it. Unfortunately, it's not as if I can really explain it to them, so..."

    Homura happily catches Madoka. She even uses it as an excuse to hug her for a moment, pressing her cheek against her girlfriend's for a moment before setting her feet down. She's still hugging her. "I'd be happy to show you... but first, let's go inside. We can probably find a table or something to work on. I'll be loading some of them alongside you so I'll be around if you have questions."

    After all, Homura isn't going to leave Madoka alone with a pile of loaded guns unless she's sure that Madoka knows how to handle them safely.

    Homura looks around at Madoka's second question. She thougtfully purses her lips. "Well... sometimes they have interchangable parts. I admit that's not something I've looked up personally. There's a huge difference in cost and precision between raising a ship from the depths and actually lifting and moving parts around. It's not a bad idea in itself, it's just not something I think I can do without access to a naval base."

    Homura shrugs, and then pulls away from Madoka, but still takes her hand and tries to lead her towards a door that presumably leads inside. "On the deck of a ghost ship on a foggy day," she muses. "I don't know. What do you think? Of using this as a dance floor one day, I mean. If the loudspeakers still work we could set up some music. We'd certainly have our privacy." Then she reconsiders. "Of course, if you don't like the setting, we don't have to."

    Is Homura actually thinking about romance right now, of all times? Well, it's Homura, she's with Madoka, and she's not nearly as uncomfortable around weapons of war as Madoka is.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka giggles as Homura catches her and enjoys the hug, squeezing tightly with her arms around her girlfriends neck. While her feet are off the ground and she's clinging she curls her legs up, as if lifting them both up from the ground. She doesn't pull away once she has to set them down. "At first I thought you were just making them with magic," Madoka notes about the guns. "You must spend a lot of time picking them back up and reloading them after fights."

    It's true. As much fighting as Madoka has been around she has no experience with actual weapons, and having just admitted never holding a gun means she likely has no idea about proper gun safety. On the one hand she's not the type to ever 'play' with a gun. On the other many people have injured themselves or worse when not being careful enough while cleaning or loading firearms.

    "A naval base? Oh, that's true... and it would probably take a lot of time, too, wouldn't it?" But the fact that Homura took her suggestion seriously makes Madoka smile, even if it didn't turn out to be doable.

    When Homura pulls away Madoka takes her hand and follows along, allowing Homura to lead her while for the first time giving a serious look to the ship they're on. She doesn't realize what Homura is saying until she explicitly states using it as a dance floor, which draws a giggle from her. It's hard not being in a romantic mood two days after that confession. And /that kiss/. "Hehehe... alone with you on a ship in the fog? It'd almost be like we were stranded out on the ocean with only each other for company~" It's not a direct answer, but maybe it's good enough.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura shakes her head. "No, I can't do that with magic. That's Mami's specialty. I do spend a certain amount of time reloading them, but really it's easier and faster once you get used to it. Also, I usually don't reload them all at once. Just a few at time. It's more managable that way."

    "A naval base would make it more convenient... Unfortunately I don't think that WPS has those kinds of facilities. Still, it's not a bad idea. Who knows? We might have something like that in the future."

    Homura shrugs. It's not impossible. Actually it'd probably be kindof neat, assuming that they could keep such a place well hidden. At least that's what she thinks. Also, it'd be very lonely if it was just Homura by herself. She'd want other magical people there. Even if for most of them it was strictly business.

    Homura side-eyes at Madoka, smiling, as the two of them walk towards one of the airtight doors leading inside. "I'd love to share a moment like that with you... It'd be something to do together after all of the work. Assuming we aren't already tired by then. If we are, well, there's always cuddling." She holds her hand up towards the door, using magic to open it in spite of the presence of locks and damage. When it swings open, she holds it for Madoka. "After you, my dear."

    The inside actually seems pretty dry, despite the ship having been underwater. If there were any leaks when the ship sank, Homura probably got rid of them the first time she prepared this ship for Walpurgisnacht. Well most of them anyways. There's still that hull damage.

    Once inside, Homura leads Madoka towards the mess hall, since that seems like the best place to find tables and chairs. The mess hall itself might seem pretty cramped for a full crew, but with just the two of them there is actually plenty of room.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods a little at the mention of Mami being the one who produces magical guns, and hums a little as Homura mentions reloading them a few at a time. "I'd be happy to help you once you've taught me how. That way it least it wouldn't be so lonely, and it'd get done a little faster, too." After a moment she notes, "That is, if you wouldn't rather do other things when we have time together instead."

    Really though it's just something they could do while talking to each other, and talking is something they always seem to do regardless of actual activity.

    Homura mentions WPS and Madoka looks over towards her, "Hm? Are you thinking about staying with them, after all?" It's a completely neutral question, at least by tone. She isn't trying to imply that'd be a good or a bad thing; she's merely curious.

    "There's going to be a lot of work," Madoka agrees with a nod. "Even if everything goes well there might be a lot of people that need medical help, magical and nonmagical alike." Though if Mitakihara General itself is evacuated for the storm there's not much more than basic first aid that Madoka could do for that.

    She giggles as Homura opens the door for her, "Thank you, my special someone." She pauses as she's about to go through the door, stopping and looking at Homura. Then suddenly she leans closer, lifting up on her toes- and pauses again.

    She was thinking about giving Homura a quick peck on the lips, but at the last moment decides against it. She doesn't want a kiss to be something simple and throwaway.

    And so instead she slows down, tilting her head and slowly pressing her lips to Homura's, giving her another soft and slow lingering kiss with all the gentleness that is always in her touch, her hand lifting so that her fingers lightly brush against Homura's cheek.

    The pull back from the kiss is just as slow, and Madoka looks into her eyes sweetly for a moment before drawing away further, letting her fingers trail off of her face as she steps through the ship's door and into the mess hall, making a little giggle as she goes over to a floor-bolted table with a bounce in her step and sits down in one of its chairs.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "Any time spent with you is precious to me, Madoka." The lack of honorific is at least somewhat intentional. Homura feels a lot closer to her than she did before. "I just want to make sure you don't get hurt. I probably don't need to tell you this, but guns are dangerous. Don't point them at anyone while you're loading them, especially not yourself. I can heal myself if I get hurt, but healing you would get complicated. Don't leave your finger resting on or anywhere near the trigger. Make sure you have the safety on. I'll show you how the safety works when we get to the mess hall."

    Homura's tone is very sharp and even commanding as she gives instructions. She doesn't like being bossy, especially not to Madoka, but she knows that this is really important. Homura would never forgive herself if Madoka got hurt while doing this for her.

    Still... she has to admit, it's really nice having Madoka here with her.

    When Madoka asks about WPS, Homura shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. I just... I feel bad using them and then tossing them aside after I don't need them anymore. Yet at the same time I also would feel bad if I abandoned them right before the big fight. I still intend to leave. I'm just not sure about the timing."

    After a pause she says, "Still... it would be nice to have those kinds of resources. If I could have something like that wihtout being tied to Eclipse, well... I think I'd like that. The question is figuring out how to go about it."

    It takes Homura a moment to read when Madoka intends to kiss her, but once she figures it out she Homura accepts it with closed eyes and waiting lips. She kisses Madoka softly in return, blushing slightly as she feels Madoka's hand against her cheek. When Madoka pulls away, Homura's eyes open again, looking into her sweet pink eyes, with Homura's own purple eyes filled with a sense of longing.

    Once they get to the mess hall, Homura stands next to the table that Madoka's sitting at. It's not a large table, but it's large enough for their purposes. She reaches into her shield and produces a long wooden board with several wide groves in it. There's a hole in the board for a gunclip and a groove leading up to it that connects to a pool.

    "People call this a speed loader. Personally I kindof hate that name but that's what it's called. Let me demonstarate how it works."

    Homura pulls out a small handgun and ejects the clip. She places the clip on one end of the board. "The clip goes here." Then she pulls out a box of ammo and opens it, placing some of the bullets into the pool. "Bullets start here, but you want to move them onto this track, see." She demonstrates as she talks. "Make sure they're all facing the right way. The markings on the side of the track will show you how many bullets go into a clip like this. Once you've got enough bullets and they're lined up right, go and and push them into the clip, like so."

    Homura pushes the bullets into the clip, and then looks at Madoka. "Did you get that? I can demonstrate it again if you want."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    A warm smile is on Madoka's face when Homura uses her name in such a familiar way. That makes sense, doesn't it? Homura has known her for so very long she deserves to be able to speak that way, especially if the two of them are dating. Even if Madoka doesn't remember all those times, she does acknowledge and accept them as real. If Homura were less honorable she could very easily take advantage of this, of how trusting Madoka is and has always been. But she doesn't, and so the honesty with which she speaks has always rang true.

    Madoka's expression becomes slightly more serious as well when Homura speaks to her in such a sharp tone. It's a pretty good way to let her know that what's being said is serious business, especially when contrasted so directly against the romantic comments from mere moments before. "I didn't realize just handling them could be so dangerous. Okay, then I'll be very careful. I'll try not to even let my finger get near the trigger at all, Homura-chan."

    Then Homura talks about WPS and Eclipse, and Madoka gives her a sympathetic look. "So it isn't Hannah-chan that's the problem, but the people she works for?" She makes a bit of a face, deeply thoughtful for a few long moments. "Homura-chan... would it be possible for Hannah-chan and WPS to separate from Eclipse? If they weren't tied together anymore, then you could have that and not have to abandon your friends at all."

    Madoka, of course, has no idea how large and intricate an organization Eclipse is, only that Takashi and Hannah are both members and that WPS seems to be heavily involved with them.

    After the kiss Madoka actually looks a little apologetic when she sees the look in Homura's eyes. "Oh... um... maybe I shouldn't do that when we have other things we have to do? I'm sorry if that was a tease." After a moment she blushes lightly and adds, "It was very nice though."

    Madoka looks at the board when it's put down in front of her with confusion, and only seems to understand what's going on when Homura demonstrates for her. "Oh! That doesn't look too hard. I think I can do that for you, Homura-chan." She looks up and smiles happily to the Puella Magi and starts lining up bullets in the groove, which is about all she can do before another clip is produced.

    After a moment she tilts her head a little while looking over the board, "What are the other grooves for, though? So you can fill more than one at the same time?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "I wouldn't be so serious if it weren't important." Homura's tone is apologetic, though still serious. "Sorry just... well, you know. I want you to be safe. A lot of people get careless with guns because they only see them in movies or video games. I wouldn't be very kind to you if I handed you one without at least giving you some basic instructions and warning."

    Homura's face grows a little darker at the mention of WPS seperating from Eclipse. "It's not that simple. Hannah-chan wants to be with them. I don't have a problem with her as an individual. Not really. She's made mistakes, and there are things that I could complain about, but it's not like I'm perfect either. She's... a good friend, and a lot of the time she's even a good person. I just don't like the fact that my paycheck comes from Eclipse."

    She glances at Madoka for a moment. "I don't think my conscience would really rest well with me if I were to remain in that position."

    Once Madoka apologizes about the tease, Homura shakes her head. "No, no. Don't apologize. I love being kissed by you. If anything I just wish I could do it more often. Maybe after all of this we'll have more time..."

    After the loading board is demonstrated, and Madoka seems to get it, Homura produces several more guns that all use the same type of ammo and ejects their empty clips. She places the clips so that Madoka can reach them easily. "Well, these boards that have different grooves are meant to handle several different sizes of magazines. They're multipurpose. A lot of different kinds of guns use the same kinds of ammo. Here, I'll show you." Homura pulls out an uzi, clearly a different kind of gun from the handguns she was handling earlier, and ejects the magazine. "This type goes into this other slot here. See how it's a different shape and also much longer? This is a 25 bullet magazine, while the handgun magazines use 17 bullets."

    "Right now we're only going to deal with guns that use 9mm ammo. It's more efficient that way because we don't have to worry about mixing up ammo types. We can move on when we're done with these."

    After the demonstration, Homura starts pulling out more boxes of ammo, more magazines of different sizes, and a few more speed loading boards. Once she's done unpacking she sits down next to Madoka and starts loading a few herself.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka quickly shakes her head, "Don't be sorry! You don't have to be sorry for wanting to protect me and teach me how to do something right, Homura-chan. You haven't upset me at all, I'm just trying to take this as seriously as you are. It actually makes me happy that you care so much for me."

    At the note of Hannah wanting to be allied with Eclipse Madoka nods a little and lets out a low hum, only to give Homura a slightly sad smile when she talks about her conscience. She reaches out and takes her hand briefly in order to give it a supportive squeeze. The smile turns brighter as her comment about the kiss is responded to, and she giggles. She actually gets slightly squirmy in her seat at the thought of having more time, presumably for kissing.

    Her eyes then go to the board as Homura explains about the different clips, and her head tilts slightly as she takes it in. Demonstration proves to be more effective than pure explanation, and as the clip put in place for the 25 bullet groove she blinks, "Oh! Okay, I think I get it now, Homura-chan." She looks curiously between all the pieces now set out in front of her. "Are clips and magazines the same thing..?" she asks speculatively, lining up bullets in a row for the handgun clip and then doing the same for the Uzi clip.

    After she's finished she tries pushing the bullets into the clip. It... takes a little while for her to get it because she really does have stringy noodle arms. Once she shifts in her seat for a position of better leverage it's a bit easier. She looks fairly proud of herself, picking up the reloaded magazines and setting them aside where Homura set the first one in what she assumes is the 'done' pile.

    Afterwards she looks up, having mulled over something Homura said earlier, "Wait, mixing up ammo types... you mean different guns shoot different bullets? How do you keep them all straight?!"

    No, despite living in America for years Madoka does not know how to 'gun'.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura smiles warmly at Madoka. "Well. I'm certainly not sorry for caring deeply about you." She leans over and affectionately rests her head on Madoka's shoulder for a moment before pulling away and sitting up straight.

    "Right. It's easy once you know how." She shrugs at the question about clips and magazines. "Technically there's a difference between a magazine and a clip, and if you run across someone who's really into the terminology they'll tell you the difference, but practically speaking most people use the terms interchangably."

    She loads another set of bullets, puts it onto the 'done' pile. "If you want to be very technical, a clip is a device meant to store bullets in a way that makes it easier to load them into a magazine. The magazine is the actual storage device that slides into the gun."

    Homura watches carefully as Madoka tries to load her first two magazines, stopping her own loading in order to make sure her girlfriend can do it alright. When she manages, Homura smiles. "You got it. That's right." Satisfied that Madoka at least knows the process, Homura begins loading her own.

    "Rote memorization, really. That's how I keep them straight. Certain guns only take bullets of certain sizes. It may be overwhelming at first, but if you use guns long enough you just pick it up. If you want to know about specific guns you can often find manuals online that will tell you things like ammo requirements and so on." Homura's explaination is very matter-of-fact. She doesn't really see it as a big deal to know all of this stuff.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka leans her head briefly against Homura's when her girlfriend rests it on her shoulder, smiling happily. Even if they're preparing for a battle she's in a good mood since it means getting to spend time with Homura.

    The technical information confuses her a little. She doesn't entirely understand what Homura means but gets the point that for practical reasons it shouldn't really matter, at least not if she isn't the one using the weapons herself.

    More bullets are placed into the pool and Madoka gets some more empty clips, placing them in their slots before lining the bullets up properly and sliding them in. The rate at which Homura can accomplish this is much faster than Madoka can, but she also has a whole lot of experience. The pink haired girl does get faster as they continue and from the number of clips Homura has around it sure seems like there's plenty of practice to be had. She's also not going for speed, but rather accuracy. To say that Madoka would be horrified if a gun improperly loaded by her ended up getting Homura hurt or worse would upset her would be an understatement.

    Rote memorization? "I guess that part isn't very magical after all." Madoka thinks for a few moments before humming softly, "Was it the same way for all the bombs and other things?" She blinks a little, slowing even more in her reloading activities as she dwells on that. "It must have taken you a very long time to learn to do all of this. Even the ship we're on right now, it must have taken you a long time to learn how to make it work."

    She does know almost exactly how long Homura has been at this on an intellectual level. But sitting down with her and helping to do the actual work, learning one small part of a thing Homura must have taught herself to do? It makes it a lot easier to understand and grasp on an emotional level.

    "And it was all for me..." she says to herself in a whisper.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "Don't worry too much about the terminology. There's not going to be a test or anything." Homura knows that if Madoka ever does gain magical powers, which she still hates the idea of, she'll use a bow instead of a gun. A lot of this information is only helpful to Madoka if she's helping Homura.

    "It's not really magical, no. Most Puella Magi have some innate knowledge of how their powers work, and technically I did too, but since the guns don't come from my magic I had to learn about them the hard way." Homura smirks, even kindof chuckles, when the bombs are brought up. "Oh, back then. I was so reckless trying to make bombs before learning how to use guns. Yes, it was like that, and I don't regret knowing how to make bombs, but guns are the safer weapon and I should've started with them."

    She shrugs. "I guess I just didn't have anyone around to tell me any better. The ship took some learning, too. I had to memorize the locations of nearby military shipwrecks, so that I'd be able to use them later. Then I had to figure out how the weapons work. Fortunately whenever I use magic to do things like that, it becomes very intuitive."

    Homura doesn't seem to notice that Madoka is going slower. Or maybe she just expects it. Homura has done this thousands of times, and this is Madoka's first day. Really, it's sweet of Madoka that she even wants to try to help, and Homura wouldn't be able to refuse her kindness.

    Homura does stop, suddenly, after she hears what Madoka just whispered. The whisper is punctuated by the sound of Homura sliding another row of bullets into a magazine. She blushes, and the blush gets worse. After a while she stutters out a response. "Y-yeah well..." Then quietly, "I love you. It's really no big deal, doing that for you."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's true that Madoka doesn't necessarily need to learn any of this, and she thinks about that. "That's true... but I do want to learn about some of these things, because they're what you do so much of the time. And it'd be nice being able to spend time doing them with you and being able to talk about the things you like." Which actually, was one of the biggest problems and the ultimate downfall of her relationship with Takashi; the things he liked and did were so far above her intellectual level that it would never have gotten beyond him trying to explain concepts to her, let alone details. "It's important to me because it's important to Homura-chan," she says, looking over with a smile before filling another clip with bullets.

    It's a little hard for Madoka to understand how Homura could have figured all of that out on her own. Motivation probably has a lot to do with it, she ends up settling on. As for magic coming intuitively she nods a little and says, "That's good," keeping to herself the thought that it's a very good thing Puella Magi didn't have to rely on Kyubey to tell them how to use their new magical powers, considering how tight lipped he is on important details.

    Madoka notices Homura stopping and it takes her a moment to realize the reasoning behind it. She blushes a little herself and finishes up lining up bullets before turning towards Homura in her seat. She leans over and quietly wraps her arms around the other girl's shoulders, squeezing tightly. "You say that, but I know that it really is. I don't know how I can ever repay you for all the things you've done for me, and for how much you've cared. You really are my very best friend, Homura-chan."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "If you want to learn, I'm happy to teach you, Madoka-chan." There's a soft contentment in Homura's voice which indicates that yes, she actually would be happy to teach her. "It's all very simple once you learn it. It's just a matter of learning it. Just like any other subject. There's actually more I myself could learn, but I guess that's true of any topic no matter how good you get at it."

    Homura turns and smiles back at Madoka, brushing her own hair back to make sure it doesn't get caught in anything. "Thank you for considering it important, Madoka-chan. It is important to me, because it helps me protect you."

    Actually, on the subject of hair. "I'm actually being slightly irresponsible right now." Homura pulls a black hair tie from her shield and reaches behind her head, gathering up her hair and pulling it through the loops of her tie. "Your hair is already up, and it's short anyways, so it's not a problem... but someone like me should really have her hair up when I deal with things like this."

    Madoka wraps her arms around her, and Homura's blushing gets worse. Homura leans into Madoka and wraps her arms around her. "You've repaid me plenty of times, even if you don't remember it. You've done so much for me, and you don't even know, but it's okay if you don't remember... because you're still my very best friend too, Madoka-chan."

    She nuzzles against her loved one, smiling and content.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I do want to learn," Madoka confirms with a nod, smiling at the contentment in Homura's voice. "This is the kind of thing I'd never have learned if I hadn't met you," she notes, sounding like this is a happy thing rather than a bad thing. It's even the type of thing she'd never have wanted to learn, but all it takes is a different perspective. "If you ever decide there's more you want to learn maybe we could learn them together. I know I'm only just starting, but maybe some day I can help you, too."

    She giggles a little at the reasoning behind the guns being important, watching for a moment as Homura ties her hair up. "Is it because it'd get caught?" she asks. She looks between Homura's hair and the bullets before smiling and asking in a slightly playful tone, "I wonder if your hair would be stronger than the bullet, since you're using magic."

    Madoka leans more into Homura as her arms go around her. They're supposed to be doing something but she's going to let this moment last a little longer anyway, because it feels so nice.

    Has she really done enough to repay what has effectively been a lifetime of battle, hardship and suffering? Madoka isn't sure. It's hard for her to be, because it's so much easier for her to recognize the suffering Homura must have gone through than her own. For the moment she decides not to worry about it too much.

    "Then instead I'll try to make you happy so you make more of your pretty smiles," she replies, returning the nuzzle. She pulls away after a little while, stopping to playfully brush her nose back and forth against Homura's before slowly getting back to loading ammunition into magazines. "Its a little bit hard staying on task when you're right here next to me," she admits while giving a little smile to Homura, peeking towards her out of the corner of her eye.

    After replacing newly filled clips with empty ones she makes a thoughtful hum, "I thought this might be hard," she lines up some bullets and gives a shake of her head, "But it really isn't." She slides them into the clips and realizes she's not being very specific, "I mean, um, 'Us', not all this. I thought that it might be difficult, being your girlfriend. That I'd have to try and get used to it... But it's actually really easy! There isn't even anything to 'try' at; I'm just spending time with you and enjoying it for an entirely new extra reason."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura makes a pleased 'mm' sound. "I hope what I'm adding to your life is mostly positive. I know you've certainly added some positive things to my life." Homura considers if there's something more she'd like to learn. Well, there are a few things. "I think I could learn how to use military vehicles better. I mean... I bring out ships like this for the big fights but I don't really... know much about them other than the weapon loadouts."

    "The helicopter I could use some practice in, so I don't have to use magic to keep correcting myself. Actually, I understand that learning on remote control helicopters is a good way to learn how to handle the real thing. So that might be a fun thing to do together, if you wanted to."

    Homura reaches back and touches her ponytail. "Well there's a chance that hair might get stuck in the mechanism. Then I'd have to disentangle myself and that'd slow down reloading." At the comment of her hair being stronger, Homura chuckles. "Well, it wouldn't surprise me. Especially if the bullet was unpowered."

    Homura sits back up right when Madoka pulls away. She gets back to her task, sliding another set of bullets into a magazine, and seting it aside before moving onto the next one. She turns her head slightly in Madoka's direction, smiling. "Honestly, this is usually a mindnumbingly repetitive task. Having good company makes it go by easier. I don't mind a few detours if it means I've gotten more work done in the end. Especially if they're hug detours."

    Homura's eyes go over the already loaded magazines, counting them in her head. "Speaking of... we might almost be done with this part."

    Homura actually thinks that Madoka is talking about the loading at first, and Homura nearly comments on that before her girlfriend clarifies herself. She blinks, and then stares ahead. "I... Yeah. I have to agree. This is really easy isn't it? I mean... I know I've said similar before, but I'm having the time of my life here, and it doesn't even seem to matter what we're doing." She stares for a few more moments before she says. "I guess I've just never heard anyone say that about me. That they feel that natural around me, I mean. Thanks, Madoka-chan. That means a lot."

    Homura clears her throat, and then reaches over to pick up the handgun she had out earlier. "This part is the dangerous part, because for however briefly you'd be handling a loaded weapon, and if you don't want to do it then you don't have to."

    Homura holds the handgun around its grip, as one normally holds a handgun when using it, except that her index finger is lifted up and away from the trigger. "If you do want to do this part, here's how I want you to hold the gun. Like I said before, keep your finger off the trigger."

    "When I hand the gun to you, you should see a red dot here." Homura points to a painted red dot on the side of the firearm. "That means that the safety is on. The red being there is a good thing. That means it shouldn't fire on accident. Shouldn't. If you don't see the red dot, flip this little switch here." Homura touches the safety switch, turning the safety off and on.

    "Now, when you hold it, point it forward, away from us." Homura demonstrates by pointing down a hallway that leads away from the messhall. "Aiming it at that hallway will ensure that, if there is an accidental discharge, any richochet will go down the hall instead of back at us. If you've got all of that, it's simple. Just pick up one of these smaller magazines and slide it into the bottom of the handle, right here. That hole is called a magazine well, if you want to know the term for it."

    Homura demonstrates by taking a clip and sliding it in. "Normally you'd also want to chamber a round, but leave that part to me. Once you've loaded the gun set it down on the table and I'll put it safely in my shield. Want to try it? It's okay if you'd rather just keep loading ammo instead."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka briefly gives Homura a confused look, "Of course it is, Homura-chan! Most of the scary things that have happened to me would have happened anyway. Probably even all of them. I was a little scared at first, true, but I was a little scared of everything when I moved back. Once I got over that almost everything has been good. Just because some of the things you've told me have made me sad doesn't mean that's your fault, either. I don't blame you for any of that." She shakes her head hard enough to cause her twintails to wave back and forth for emphasis.

    Military vehicles? "I thought you were doing really good with the helicopter! I know I didn't say it, but it was fun getting to ride with you. I don't know how much help I can be with big ships... but I'd be happy to practice flying remote control helicopters with you!"

    The thought of Homura deflecting regular bullets with her hair comes to Madoka's mind as she talks about them being unpowered and it draws a giggle from her. "Like Tuxedo Kamen's cape," she notes playfully.

    As she continues loading more empty clips Madoka nods her head, "This isn't boring at all since I'm talking with you the whole time, Homura-chan." She then considers before adding, "Hug detours might be the best detours. Right next to kissing ones!" How brazen! She giggles at herself.

    "You're welcome, Homura-chan! I really do feel that way. Even if something should be boring like this, it's fun because I'm with you." She looks over to Homura and smiles. Madoka keeps her eyes on her for longer this time, rather intentionally staring at her and looking into her eyes until she starts to blush. All at once she smiles brightly and lets out a little squeal, having let herself fill her head with all kinds of silly romantic thoughts. "It's really neat having a best friend who's also my girlfriend! We can talk and have fun normally but if I think about it I also get giddy and excited!"

    Which... honestly might not have been the best idea to do on purpose before Homura is about to hand her a gun.

    'This part is the dangerous part.'

    "O-okay! Sorry, I'll try to calm down," she notes, watching carefully as Homura explains. She tries to make remember of all the important parts, and for a moment wishes she had a piece of paper to quickly take notes on. Luckily most of it is intuitive enough. Don't put your finger by the trigger, make sure the thing stopping the gun from firing is set right. Make sure if it does go off by accident it's not going to hurt anyone.

    Homura loads the weapon and Madoka considers for a moment. "No, it's fine. I think I'd like to try it. I know it's not something I'll probably ever need to know how to do, but if I'm going to learn I might as well learn to load it all the way."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura looks down at the illegal guns she's loading on a sunken destroyer that doesn't really belong to her. At least some of the scariness is Homura's fault, but... well, maybe not. Really, she's just keeping Madoka protected, and about as informed as she can. "I'm glad. I'm glad you feel that way. It's... it's always hard breaking that news to you, but you do need to hear it. Besides..." Homura smiles at Madoka. She's a little worried, and beginning to dread the battle to come, but... "... if we make it through this, maybe a lot of the bad things I was warning you about won't even happen."

    Homura emits a single chuckle, before saying, "Telling you about what I knew was probably the smartest thing I've done. I never thought you'd try to help Sayaka and Kyouko the way you have, but I think you've been very helpful. I wonder if things would've gone more smoothly in previous timelines, if I just could've told you those things sooner."

    Homura's smile turns a little sheepish. "I can use magic to pilot vehicles, but my actual skill is a bit lacking. I'd like to be able to pilot those without magic, so it'll be less wasteful for me, but using one of those helicopters without magic or training is dangerous." She shrugs. Nothing she can do about that. "So yeah, maybe we can do that sometime."

    Homura giggles at the mention of using her hair like Kamen's cape. "That'd be something." The mention of kissing lights a fire behind her eyes, and she is tempted, so tempted, to lean in for a kiss, yet this is a bad time so she holds back.

    Homura does reach out to sidehug Madoka again, holding her briefly before she goes back to work. "I like it, too. Being both your best friend and your girlfriend. Everything seems so natural, but also exciting and romantic."

    Homura is very brisk and businesslike when she handles the loaded gun however. This is serious time, and she doesn't want to distract her favorite person with romance in a situation where she might get hurt if she's not careful. "If you're sure, then here. I'll start getting ready for that part. I'll let you handle the handguns because they're less dangerous. The submachine guns will be my responsibility."

    She starts pulling out Berettas 92FSs from her shield, racking the slide to look into the chamber and verify that it's empty, turning it sideways and ensuring that the safety is on, and then turning it upside down to see if the magazine well is empty. After she does this for handgun, she places them in a row in easy reach for Madoka.

    "Actually, let me reorganize this a bit." Homura stands up, slides the ammo boxes and the speed loaders out of the way, since they aren't needed right now, and then sorts the magazines according to size and the type of gun they're meant to go for. The ones that are meant for the handguns are also placed near Madoka.

    She sits back down, takes one of the larger magazines, and produces an uzi. She follows a very similar procedure to what she described to Madoka, except that also she ends it with chambering a round before packing it away.

    Really, the only reason she doesn't want Madoka chambering the round is so that Homua can further avoid a situation where Madoka is holding a gun that's ready to fire.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Okay, so it's true that Madoka wouldn't be handling illegal weapons on a commandeered ship if not for Homura. She isn't considering this a bad or especially dangerous thing, though. The guns are going to be used for protecting the city and for that matter so is the destroyer.

    "We'll make it through, Homura-chan. We'll make it because we have so much help; you have so many people you can rely on for this. I'm not saying to lower your guard or that this will be easy... but I believe in you, Homura-chan!" Madoka really does, too. Her bright smile and the look in her eyes says it all. Only... how many times have those same words been spoken, that same look been given?

    Would telling her everything have worked before this timeline? It's hard for Madoka to say, especially when she's been told all the previous ones were so different. "I'm not sure, but I do know I've been very grateful to know it, Homura-chan. Knowing why you do the things you do, and made the choices you have... it's helped a lot."

    The look in Homura's eyes at the mention of kissing puts a faint blush on Madoka's face, but knowing now is a bad time she doesn't otherwise do anything to encourage it. The sidehug on the other hand she leans into, reaching over to return it with her nearer arm. "In a lot of ways there really isn't anything better than being with someone you love, is there?" she asks. She means family as well, but yes also very much the specific person you love the most.

    When it's down to the careful, dangerous business of loading the magazines into the firearms Madoka sits up straighter in her chair. She waits for Homura to reorganize, setting her hands back in her lap to keep out of the way. When it's finally time she reaches out and carefully picks up a pistol by the grip, slightly surprised by the weight of it, making sure to keep it aimed down that hall. She turns it on it's side, peeking at the little dot to make sure it's red and the safety is engaged, and then picks up one of the filled magazines.

    It take a moment to line it up correctly, and Madoka slowly slides into place. Too slowly. The mechanism doesn't engage and as she lowers her hand the magazine starts to slide out. Overcoming mechanical locking mechanisms is perhaps a wee bit difficult when you have both weak arms and a tendency to have an incredibly gentle touch.

    She gives Homura a slightly embarrassed look and tries it again before giving up and shoving it into place harder, at which point it sets properly and Madoka places it back on the far side of the table.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "I'm sure we will. I know we will." Homura has to believe that she'll make it this time, that it'll work out, and that this is the time she'll get everything right, because this really is her last chance. She forces herself to believe it, to the point where she doesn't even consider if it's a realistic assessment or not.

    "We have a lot of people on our side. A lot of Puella, including some skilled veterans, as well as a number of other magic users. We have information and a strategy. Everything will be okay. I have faith in that." Homura looks at Madoka with a smile that seems cheerful, but her eyes betray a certain amount of desperation. Her voice almost shakes when she speaks. "In just a couple of days, my long fight will finally be over."

    Well it will be one way or another. Homura forces herself not to continue that line of thought.

    "Well... that's not completely true. There will still be things that I have to do, but having both of us alive after Walpurgisnacht will be a significant milestone to me." Her voice returns to normal shortly after. She turns back to her work and lifts up a magazine, then pauses while closing her eyes for a moment.

    Madoka's words about spending time with someone you love pulls her out of her funk, and she smiles. "There really isn't. Whatever form that love takes, it's worth whatever it takes to protect it."

    Homura watches Madoka out of the corner of her eye as Madoka tries several times to slide the magazine in. Homura watches silently, not saying anything, but making sure that everything is handled safely. Once Madoka successfully manages to load the magazine, Homura smiles. "Good job."

    She takes the gun, chambers a round, and stores it into her shield. Then she goes back to handling her uzis.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka sees that look in Homura's eyes again, a little stronger than before. She almost ignores it but decides not to. She waits until her hands are free of guns and ammo, and Homura's also, before saying anything, finishing the loading of the gun she's holding.

    When she does and Homura sets her Uzi down before turning to face Homura, actually turning in her char until she's facing her and reaching out afterwards to catch both of her hands, taking them lightly in her own, her grip soft and gentle.

    "You're worried." She offers a small, kind smile. "I can tell you're worried, Homura-chan," she says quietly, only to close her eyes and give a small shake of her head before opening them back up. "But you don't have to try and hide it from me. I won't stop believing in you, or trusting you because you're worried. Heroes like you are allowed to worry. Magical Girls shouldn't have to hide their fears when they're with their friends."

    She leans closer, lifting Homura's hand and pressing it and holding it to her cheek, tilting her head into it and nuzzling it softly. "Especially you Homura-chan, because you have me to talk to, and I'll never look down upon you for something like that. I'll to talk with you about it if you want to, but it's also okay if you'd rather not. I just want you to know that you never have to worry about sharing your feelings with me, even if you're worried or afraid."

    Even while keeping Homura's hand against her cheek she lifts up her other hand to where it's easy to see and interlaces her fingers with it, squeezing it tightly. "We will make it through this. I promise. Remember: I love you."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura pauses as Madoka takes her hands. She turns her eyes towards Madoka and smiles weakly. Her shoulders start to tremble as Madoka points out that she's worried, and that trembling travels through her arms, and can probably be felt by Madoka while she holds her hands.

    She looks down at what would be at the ground, but ends up being her knees (and probably Madoka's) instead. They are sitting pretty close together here. "It's not that I'm hiding it from you... I just... I don't want to think about it. I'm afraid, because everything seems too good to be true, and that never goes well. For any of us. But I'm also afraid that if I start thinking about that, I'll get distracted and mess something up."

    This isn't the first time Madoka's seen Homura cry, but it's not like Homura really wants to hide her feelings from her. It's better if they communicate... even if it's about something that Homura would want to hide from. That's why Madoka can see tears streaming down Homura's face right now.

    "A part of me is afraid that everything will go wrong... that I'll lose everything just like that, and then I wont be able to take anything back. I'll be here with nothing, or worse... If something happened to you, I don't think that I could take it. I think I'd die..."

    With her interlaced hand, Homura sqeezes Madoka's palm against hers, and with the other hand she brushes her thumb against Madoka's cheek. She looks up, smiling behind the tears. "I love you too, Madoka. I love you so much. I just couldn't bear to lose you, no matter what."

    Homura leans forward, closing her eyes. She presses her lips against Madoka's. She stays there for a time, drawing comfort and peace from that kiss. In this moment, there's no guns, no ship, no Walpurgisnacht, or anything else. There's just Madoka, with her, in a sweet and calming moment.

    When she pulls away, her eyes are closed, but she's no longer crying. "Thank you, Madoka-chan, for loving me, and for being here with me."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka feels a familiar twisting pain in her chest as Homura cries in front of her. She can't help reactively feeling it and keeping the sympathy from welling up on her own expression, she just hopes it isn't going to make Homura clam up. Tears are good sometimes, and it can be healthy to cry and let your pain out.

    "It's okay. It's going to be alright, Homura-chan," Madoka offers in a soothing voice, because there isn't very much she can say to those types of worries. She smiles as the thumb brushes against her cheek, and then more as Homura says that she loves her, knowing full well how much she means. The pain and sadness of seeing her friend hurting mixes with the feeling of warmth and fulfillment of being spoken to in that way, and she closes her eyes when Homura leans in.

    She kisses Homura back gently, squeezing her hand and for the moment letting herself get lost in the lingering moment. When it finally breaks she takes a pair of slow breaths before opening her eyes. She leans her head into the hand she's holding to her cheek before releasing it, reaching into her pocket and pulling it a clean pink handkerchief. She folds it over and then reaches out and very carefully wipes away Homura tears with the soft cloth.

    "You're welcome, Homura-chan. I'll always be here for you if you need me." She folds up the handkerchief once she's cleaned Homura's face, only to lightly brush her fingers through her bangs. After a moment she pushes them up and then leans in, lifting a little to kiss her gently on the forehead. It's not very romantic a gesture, but it's also not intended to be. If anything it's oddly maternal, coming from the fourteen year old girl. "I wish I could protect you from that fear, wash it away and tell you truthfully that you never have to worry about it again. But I know there isn't anything like that I can do. All I can do is tell you that I love you, and that I trust you, and that I have faith in you and faith in Mami-san, Sailor Moon, and all the so many others."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura can do nothing but smile at Madoka as she dries her tears, letting that handkerchief brush over her features. She is so grateful for Madoka, just that she's here, and that she's so kind and sweet, and that she loves her. She doesn't say a word as the last of her tears are dried, and Madoka puts the handkerchief away.

    Madoka brushes her bangs away, and Homura blushes, partially in anticipation of another kiss. When it comes to her forehead, it's not what she expected, but it's still wanted. It doesn't have to be a romantic gesture. It's a loving one, and that's enough.

    Homura still keep oddly silent, even as Madoka tries to reassure her. She closes her eyes as Madoka says she has faith in her and her allies. Homura leans forward, wrapping her arms around Madoka, and resting her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. It's only then that she speaks.

    "Whatever it takes. I wont fail you. Whatever I have to do. I promise you, Madoka. I'll keep you safe. You, and your family, and your loved ones." Homura pauses as she considers, fully, that protecting Madoka's loved ones means protecting herself, too. She already knew that she couldn't sacrifice herself, but this is another reminder which drives it home. "... and the rest of the city. Whatever it takes."

    She rubs her forehead against Madoka's shoulder. "I know you really are doing your best for me, Madoka-chan. I'll do my best for you, too."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is grateful that her words and her actions can get through to Homura. It means a lot to her to be able to help calm her down and sooth her, to help her feel better when the worry is starting to mount up. Maybe it's not the same as being able to and fight right alongside her, but it means being able to contribute in a meaningful way- it might even be more meaningful than being one more magical girl in a swarm.

    Though Homura is already thinking it Madoka notes, "That includes you too, Homura-chan. You know I'd be heartbroken if anything happened to you." She smiles and gives a small shake of her head, "I'm not that worried. A little yes, but I have faith in you to keep your promise and keep everyone safe. Thank you, Homura-chan, for doing so much for me and everyone else."

    As Homura's forehead rests on her shoulder Madoka reaches out and gently hugs her to herself, closing her eyes and cradling her as lovingly and sweetly as she can. Her best friend is so worried that everything is going to go wrong, and that worry is centered around losing her forever. So Madoka will do the best thing she can think of and simply be here for Homura. Here with her and here for her, physically as well as emotionally present, able to be reached out and held so that as terrifying as a possible future without her might be?

    In this moment and this place Madoka is right there with her.