View source for 794/Just a social visit

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/01/04
|Location=Mitakihara - Kikoku Street - South
|Synopsis=Mami invites Runealy over for tea.
|Cast of Characters=9,29
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It had taken Mami a little bit of time to be ready to invite the Princess over for tea. She'd gotten the text from her much earlier, but admittedly, the preparations for Walpurgisnacht and the concern of dealing with it had consumed a lot of her time. Then there was the 'normal abnormal' of keeping the Witch population in-check.<br /><br />But last night, Mami sent Runealy a text message asking if she could come over, sit down, and talk for a bit. Mami wasn't specific about what, exactly, but she did promise tea and cakes!<br /><br />As she does for /every/ visit at her house, she's made sure everything is immaculate and has made and exquisitley decorated a few slices of cake, which are already sat out at the table while she waits (mostly) patiently for her visitor.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune's response was semi-literate (she doesn't really know how to use punctuation on modern 'keyboard' writing beyond whatever her phone does for her), but she did agree to drop by. It took a little while to find the place, though this is why the princess left early.<br /> <br />And so Runealy arrives basically on time, walking up and knocking on the door... shoes off, already. This is one of the few times she has come across Mami without being transformed as 'The Princess', but Mami has seen both sides of Rune now - in the same place, recently - and should be able to see through the old ruse by this point.<br /> <br />Even after the soft knock, Rune stands nervously. There are so many things coursing through her mind right now, a jumble of questions and concerns that are either directly about Mami, or were brought up by the Puella Magi. Will any of them even be coming up, though? Is this just a social visit, or is it more than that?

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami opens the door, provides a polite little bow, and ushers Runealy in. It's a ritual she's done many times before - for both social and important visits. This, in truth, is both.<br /><br />Once Runealy is inside, and Mami has gestured to the table, she begins. "I hope you like cake. I wanted to talk to you about a lot of things. I've heard some of them as rumors but... you've fought alongside me, and I've seen you be very kind at times." The kidness is referenced particular to Nagisa Momoe. "And you seemed to be very concerned about our well-being; Puella Magi like Akemi-san and myself.<br /><br />She fills both cups with hot tea. "Though the first and maybe most important question is, what should I call you? Princess-san doesn't seem to have the right ring to it, does it?" she asks with another smile.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune mirrors the slight bow, shoes swept just inside the place before she follows Mami further in and sits. That first remark draws a light smile, "I do! And..." Then she quiets down to heart he rest. 'Nervous' turns to outright anxiety; this seems to be praise leading up to a scathing question, and Rune has a fairly good idea which one it might be.<br /> <br />As for introductions, those come in a more quiet tone. "Runealy, Guardian Princess of Waldia. 'Rune' for short is okay." She keeps her gaze in Mami's direction, but it's tilted down slightly to avoid outright eye contact.

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Rune-san it is, then." Mami says with a smile. Mami sits after Rune does, and takes a sip of her tea.<br /><br />"I heard about some of the things that went on from my compatriots. I understand you went through some hardships, and made some tough decisions." she says, trying to be as empathetic as she can. "I know what it's like, having your back against the wall and trying to slide out."<br /><br />"But I also hear in the end things worked out okay." Mami says, cutting into her cake with a fork. "Do I have the general parts right?"

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune likewise has a little bit of tea, though she's using it to buy time to think out her words. "Mostly. You call it 'tough'... I think 'cruel' is a better word. A word you used just the other day, about someone I just don't understand. One moment 'Miss White' is trying to do some sort of... public ritual method of killing me," execution-by-hanging is a novel concept to the alien princess, "then helping save my world, then I hear about this and I just don't know what to think. But... yes."<br /> <br />A faint nod. "Yes, it worked out. My friends learned to say 'no' and forced me to stop doing stupid, wrong things. People we attacked came with us to save our home. I should be dead a few times over, and I'm only here because things 'worked out okay.'"<br /> <br />She's using a lot of Mami's words back at her host, on purpose. All of it done in a soft, reserved tone; there is no mockery or sarcasm here.

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami frowns. The frown is not at Rune or for her, it's a general frown when Miss White is brought up. "I've heard a lot of conflicting things about her too, but what I ''know'' is that I had to break into one of her facilities to rescue a Puella Magi she was holding captive." she says, bluntly and flatly. It'll be a while yet before Mami can let that one go.<br /><br />There's a little jealousy in Mami now, though - because Rune talks about friends. Not allies, but friends, and that's a thing Mami hasn't had for some time. "People like that are very valuable. I once had a partner I could trust like that but... things didn't work out there."<br /><br />Rune says she should've been dead many times over, and that earns a small, almost sad laugh from Mami. "If it wasn't for the wish I made that makes me a Puella Magi, I would be dead too." she says. "In that sense perhaps we are both around on time we shouldn't really have based on our actions and our lives." Then she smiles broadly at Rune. "That just means, Rune-san, that it's our obligation to make the best of it. That's one of the reasons I fight."<br /><br />"What about you, Rune-san? What gives you strength?"

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"The wish that...?" Rune's repeating-question cuts off as she puts that idea together with what she heard Mami say several months ago at the hospital. A gasp gets out as she realizes what this probably means, and it instantly re-frames several things she thought she understood about Mami. Shock is followed by sympathy...<br /> <br />...Then by a response guided by defensive caution. "You may be confusing strength for a willingness to do things, to at least try. I'm not strong. My reasons, though?"<br /> <br />Her throat tightens, and she ends up using a little bit of cake to cover for this while working up the nerve to answer. It comes after several seconds. "One of them is I didn't want to go out onto my home's center balcony and tell everyone I couldn't stop what was about to happen, that everyone was going to die. But that's 'just' saying it to thousands of people, most of them ones I barely know beyond their faces and jobs. More personally... I didn't want my father to die, or Gaofele or Valeria or Solomon or Hinote or anyone else I actually know."<br /> <br />A headshake follows. "That's pretty hypocritical, isn't it." That is not toned as a question. "To worry about a million or billion lives, a planet or two planets... but to really get scared when I think about 'just one person', or 'just one other person', so long as it's someone I know. But I've seen the exact same thing you did, and my other reason is that for those 'million or billion', even if they're just a concept to me..."<br /> <br />It takes a few seconds more for her to force out the words, eyes misting up: "I don't want anyone to see what we have. To stare at someone you care about and see that... that's it. It's over. They can't talk to you ever again. It's the worst feeling ever, and if I can stop a Witch or an empire's General from having to make someone ask why it had to happen... that's one of my reasons too."

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami shakes her head softly. "Rune-san, that IS strength, you know. It isn't easy to stand up and make a choice. Most people are content to stay on the sidelines, close their eyes. I made a contract, I gained a wish, and in exchange for that I fight. But I understand it's not that way for most of the magical girls and boys I talk to. A lot of them choose to fight instead of stay home. So the thing you said there; that you want to make sure nobody else feels like you did?"<br /><br />"I understand that. I've seen.... I've seen what witches and monsters can do. And I made the choice to stop it wherever I can. And it sounds like you made the same choice."<br /><br />"And that's part of why I asked you here." she adds, before there's a long pause as she eats a peice of cake. Then, she nods. "It's selfish, I know. I understand this isn't even your world. But... something's coming. It's... a witch. One of incredible power. It's called Walpurgisnacht. It's not like the others, as far as we can tell, and it causes incredible devastation if it's not handled."<br /><br />"You've helped me before, and you helped me along with others so recently. But we need all of the help we can get for this monster. And I wanted to ask if you would help us fight it, too. I don't have much to offer in return. But I'd be happy to do whatever I can to help you, too."

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Staying home isn't much of a choice in this case. I could have just stayed curled up in a blanket, burying my face in it and not having to look at a red sky. The demons would have eventually ripped me out of bed, though. Still... Walpurgisnacht?" Rune is paying attention to that, between bits of her meal.<br /> <br />She listens to this broad description of something dangerous. Something described in best guesses, perhaps because it's that far beyond most Witches that have been seen thus far. Once Mami is done, Rune shakes her head a few times. "You're asking. /Asking/, like I could really say no. Like a few million Earth faces I have no names for are all that different from tens of thousands of my home's faces I couldn't put names to either. Even if I could somehow be that sick and just say it's not my problem, it is. For the reasons I just told you about, and one other."<br /> <br />Rune is managing to speak more calmly now. Incensed by the situation, but no longer having to pause her words because tears are forming; she has more control here. "It /is/ my problem. The same as any other Witch or General or Terribad or anything else. My world isn't cut off. Stopping them here, instead of there, is about the only smart thing to do. Besides,"<br /> <br />Cake slice follows. Tea as well. Then, "It'd be pretty lousy of me to accept Earth's help restoring the Barrier and then say 'nope, have fun dealing with this on your own' to Earth's problems. So I'm in, and I'm pretty sure my Knights will say the same thing."

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami nods again. "Still, it wouldn't be very right if I asked you over for tea and cakes and ordered you to help, would it?" she asks with a little giggle. "I don't think I outrank a princess, anyways." Another giggle.<br /><br />"I think... you sell yourself short, Rune-san." Mami says, refilling both teacups. "Based on what I've seen of you. You're not perfect. But..." she looks into Rune's eyes for a moment. "Neither am I. I just put on a brave front so that nobody else worries about me. I get scared. I get lonely. But both of us still go out there. I think you underestimate how many people would just go home. They'd hear about this dangerous threat, and they would leave it to other people."<br /><br />"I'm glad to know that you're one of the ones who will stand with me." she adds. "And really. Rune-san. If there's ever anything I can do to help you, let me know. I made a promise, to myself, that I wouldn't ever let an innocent get hurt if I could protect them. And I will keep that promise. It counts anywhere, too."

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Being polite about it, huh? Well, my answer doesn't change." Rune's expression does though; Mami's laugh brings the tiniest start of a smile, and this time she does meet that gaze. "In my case, I couldn't. Being the only one the Barrier that protects our world from a demon army will respond to meant it was me or nobody. So I'm not 'innocent' or all that great, but... I don't get why you'd admit something like that, about yourself, so easily?"<br /> <br />She changed topics mid-sentence. "Are you asking me to worry for you? That's an odd way of putting it, but if that's what you're after I already do that. It's not hard to imagine someone stealing a Grief Seed and demanding you do as they say... 'or else.'"

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami actually isn't sure why she admitted it so readily. It's maybe because she sees something of Rune in herself - or maybe it's because she doesn't see Rune as a kohai or a rival, and bottling up things like that can be so very bad for you. In fact, admitting to just one person that it isn't as easy as it looks feels like a bit of a weight is off her shoulders.<br /><br />"I don't want you to worry for me... I can handle myself. It's not me I worry about. Like I said... my wish was already granted." she says, with a smile that rapidly fades to a half-smile as she again does a little mental beating of herself for the entirely selfish nature of it. "I think anyone who tried to threaten me like that would be in for a... rather rude awakening." she adds. Mami is, actually, quite confident in her skills.<br /><br />"I'm worried about some of the others - the people who haven't been doing this for years like me. And you, a little..." she admits, offhandedly.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Well, I'm going to worry anyway. It sounds like you're on the verge of picking fights with a lot of people because you can't let yourself say 'it is not my problem'. Some of them probably have it coming, some of them I'd rather you not have to fight... but I'll worry." That's a fairly general sentiment though, and Rune knows it. Instead, what she really picks up on is something else.<br /> <br />"Years, you say? Mom was doing that, but Tokyo seems to have way more monsters on the loose than we do back home. Or they're more active, at least. Usually when I see you out there, you're either alone or you're showing someone what this is like. Or one person with you. Have you been going at it on your own for /years/," she stresses that word and then further emphasizes it with wide eyes as the realization sinks in, "plural?"

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami drinks her tea slowly as she figures out how to respond to Rune. She's raised a few points here that ring true. Perhaps a little too true. "I'm going to do whatever I have to do." she says, softly - more to herself than to Rune "...to make sure I can do the best I can."<br /><br />"Not on my own." she admits. "But I've been doing this for years, yes. Sometimes with a partner..." she says, thinking about Kyouko. "and a lot of the time, alone. But yes, years plural."

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune picks up on the pauses, wondering if Mami is using the tea in the same way she is; a way to buy time to think through an answer. "That's not fair!" The princess' response in this case comes the very moment Mami confirms it has been years. "Even my mom had me there if it really came down to it. Being really alone, totally on your own for that long... no way, that's just sick!"<br /> <br />Suddenly she's not as interested in the meal. Instead, she's leaning forward to address Mami more closely. "You talked about promises earlier. I think a different one might be better in this case."

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's okay." Mami says, in the tone of voice that says it's really not but she's never going to admit that. "It can be a lonely life, but I do what has to be done. If I don't do it, nobody will. I'm sure you understand that, too... even if you're alone, that doesn't change it."<br /><br />"What are you talking about, a different promise?" Mami asks, confused, pouring another round of tea for both of them. Tea is great for pauses.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>This time, Rune simply enjoys the meal for what it is; she's not staring down at the tea during a sip, her eyes stay on Mami. "I'm not sure if 'nobody' is the right word," she says while setting the cup back down. "But I get what you mean. And what I'm going to offer you because of that..."<br /> <br />She pauses to make sure she has Mami's attention, "Is that we look out for each other. A two-way promise, between two people who have seen the same things, have many of the same regrets," That is something of a guess on Rune's part, but what things Mami has said about a Wish made in haste and desperation suggest to the princess that it is apt, "and the same desires for the world... worlds, plural," she invokes 'plural' again for emphasis as she did moments ago, "to not see those sort of things happen to someone else..."<br /> <br />Runealy gets to the point: "I don't see why we shouldn't do this. A promise going both ways to look out for one another. What do you think?"

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami's eyes light up. Her expression takes on a wholly different tone. "A two-way promise." she says, softly, mulling it over. "I think that'd be wonderful, Rune-san." It's obvious from the expression on her face she does mean wonderful.<br /><br />"And I do think we could both use someone like that." she admits. She has Virtue, but Virtue has their irons in an awful lot of fires. "I want to help you. I heard I missed out on that, a little bit... but I have been doing this long enough to know that you might need someone to call on in the future, and we have more in common than it might look like on the surface." Is that really true, or is the lure of having a friend again so high for Mami?

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>For the first time in this discussion, Rune finally shows some enthusiasm; Mami's reaction is drawing something very similar from the princess' face and voice. "Then we'll do that! And don't worry about 'missing out', it's not like everyone could go all at once, Tokyo would have been left wide open. We didn't even think it was going to /be/ a fight once we got to the Shrine." Though the vaguely Runealy shaped hole in the massive wooden door - still undergoing repairs - is testament to how that turned out.<br /> <br />"So that's how it will be here. No keeping score on who helped who more times or who owes what, we'll just do this as a two-way thing and however it turns out is how it goes. Actually... I can think of one thing we'll need, to start with. Or I will, at least. Already have a few people helping, but from the looks of things..."<br /> <br />Her hand sweeps around the room interior, "I think you'd be good for what I'm trying to do, too."

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami sighs a bit. It's an honest sigh, and a little sad. "I'd have liked to been there, because it sounded like just about what I'm asking you to do for us. With Walpurgisnacht." And maybe because Mami really enjoys being the big damn hero.<br /><br />Mami nods, ands reaches across the table and takes Rune's hands in hers. "No keeping score. Just helping each other out. Wherever we can." Mami's looking into Rune's eyes, if she's looking up enough for that to be a thing. "That makes me really happy, Rune-san. I like helping people. And I like having people helping me."

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>By this point, Rune has pretty well finished with tearing herself down in this conversation; she meets Mami's eyes and has no problem with the hand-holding. She even leans in just a moment before it happens, realizing what Mami is going for.<br /> <br />"Then I'll start with something a little less scary than Walpurgishnacht or a demon army about to burst out," she's significantly more at ease. "I need to know more about Tokyo. Where to go, how people get along and how they live, what they do. I'm going to be here a while, and I don't want to spend every minute of it just thinking about fighting monsters. Even if this kind of doubles as learning some things about the city if you're talking about a Witch that can destroy it on their own," in case a justification is needed, given the clock seems to be ticking, "I'd like to think it's for easier things too. Could you show me around from time to time?"

:'''{{#var:9|Mami Tomoe| (9)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mami smiles. "Rune-san, I'd be happy to. To show you around, I mean." she says. "I admit, I do spend a lot of my time hunting witches. It's kind of been a lot of my... hobbies and time, hunting and all. So I might not be up on everything, I guess... but it'd be nice to go around with you and show you around."<br /><br />"I would really enjoy that. If you want you can bring your friends, or we can just make it just us girls." she adds with a wink. But the cake is gone and the tea is out.<br /><br />Mami looks at the window outside - and at the setting sun. "But I think that'll have to wait until tomorrow... or some other day this week. Look, I'm not in classes right now - so anytime that works for you is good for me." she adds with a smile.
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