652/Non-DEO(Dark Energy Organism) Ice Cream

Non-DEO(Dark Energy Organism) Ice Cream
Date of Scene:	30 November 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown
Synopsis:	Madoka asks Homura to take her out for promised ice cream and they go get some at Crown Arcade. They talk about fun things for a while, but eventually Madoka sours the mood by bringing up the topic of magical girls. Again.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Homura Akemi

---

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    When the bell to end classes rang Madoka had gotten up quickly and walked over to Homura, having packed a little early to be sure to catch her before she headed out to her job with WPS. "Homura-chan! I was thinking about the other day and... do you think we could go get some ice cream together today?" What followed was an earnest, hopeful smile.

    Soon they heading to the Crown Arcade together, the best ice cream place Homura knew and Madoka not really minding the time it took to get there since it meant more time to chat with her. Along the way she'd done a fair amount of simply talking about herself and how her life, the nonmagical part of it, was going. "Tatsuya was extra naughty this morning, and Papa and I both had to help get him to eat because Mom was almost late leaving for work. I know he was just being difficult though because it was his favorite; little pancakes with happy faces in them!"

    Her family life seems to be going on as it ever does, though she rather intentionally avoids talking about her usual friends because of the way Sayaka had reacted at the Thanksgiving dinner at Mamoru's apartment. She'd done her best to try and calm that down and she still felt bad since it hadn't done any good.

    As they approach the strip mall Madoka slows down and lets Homura lead her, not actually knowing much about where they're going. The fact it's associated with her favorite Karaoke place is a good sign, but she's the newbie here!

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura was sitting at her desk, messing with her cell phone, when Madoka approached her. "Alright, sure. Let's go. I know a place that has really good ice cream." She wasn't in any hurry to leave until the pink-haired girl approached, but once she learned she'd get to do something fun with Madoka all of her stuff was quickly packed and she was ready to go.

Homura listens as Madoka recounts details of her family life. There's something a bit rewarding about hearing it from Madoka. Knowing that she's happy now, that she's safe and secure, gives the time traveller a peace of mind that she hasn't had in a long time.

Homura responds with a smile, saying, "Tatsuya's a cute kid, though I don't think I've met him this time around. Does he still drop food once in a while?"

Homura pauses and then says, "Sorry, that's probably a little weird hearing that, since I haven't been to your house yet. I didn't really think about that."

Once they arrive at the Crown, Homura takes the lead as if it were natural for her to do so. She knows the way, walking up the stairs to get to the Crown's second floor, where the food is handled. There are signs forbidding any food being taken downstairs to the arcade machines, though occasionally there are some kids who bend that rule a bit.

Once they walk up to the counter, Homura gestures towards the ice cream display. "Please, pick whatever you like. My treat."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods quickly in response, "He sure does, but once he graduates to metal forks and spoons I think that'll stop." She giggles a little, "He should already, but I think he likes having silverware that's just for him. We have to be careful or he's going to get Spoiled Youngest Sibling Syndrome!" She smiles while looking over to Homura, laughing some more. She actually likes spoiling him a little herself.

    Her expression turns briefly to mild confusion and she realizes something right as Homura apologizes for it, "Oh, no, that's okay. I think that's something I'll have to get used to. You know me much better than I know you since you've met me before. That's part of the reason I want to spend more time with you, so I can get to know you better."

    She follows along through the arcade, looking with mild interest at the games. The crane games get most of her attention, (Eee, cute stuffed animals!), with the second likely being no big surprise after they went singing together, the DDR machine. She's not here for games right now though and so she follows up to the second floor, looking excitedly at the selection. After a short while of looking them all over she pipes up, "One scoop of Pumpkin Pie ice cream on a sugarcone, please!"

    A seasonal exclusive!

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura smiles a bit apologetically, though she's glad that Madoka is taking it well. She's used to people being a bit disturbed when she tells them details that she shouldn't know. "Well, there isn't much to see that you haven't already. I live in an apartment. My parents are overseas, so it's just me and the cat, Amy."

After a moment she says, "I should probably introduce you to her, sometime. She's... was a bit of a stray, but at the start of each timeline I find her and bring her home. I guess it's kindof a tradition at this point."

Madoka orders her ice cream. Pumpkin Pie ice cream? That's a thing? Homura looks and sure enough, there it is. She has to stare at it for a few moments to make sure that it's actually legitimately there.

"Huh."

The guy behind the counter is almost criminally cute, and he responds to Madoka's order with a pleasant "Coming right up! How about you, Akemi-san?"

"Furuhata-san! I'll take some strawberry ice cream. In a sugar cone."

"Sure thing!"

Homura's been here a few times before, apparently. Often enough that she knows the people who work here. While waiting for the ice cream to arrive, Homura says, "This is one of my favorite places to go relax. Once in a while I run across someone I know here."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "You adopted a stray cat? That's so nice of you, Homura-chan!" Madoka is quick to praise such kindness! Add one more thing to the list of things she likes about the Puella. "I hope it isn't too hard for you, living mostly alone like that. I think I would have a very hard time if I didn't have my parents around." She considers something aloud while looking thoughtful, "I think I'd like to meet your parents some day, Homura-chan." A less thoughtful and more inviting look has her adding, "You can probably come meet mine again, too."

    It's true, she might have actually found the oddest flavor available. Then again there's also cotton candy and bubblegum flavor available, so why not?

    She is modestly bashful as the amazingly cute clerk gets her ice cream but she's not as flustered she might be expected. She is no longer in the market for boyfriends! Even if she technically doesn't actually have one right now.

    A small tilt of her head as she looks over to Homura, "Really? Hmm." She looks at Furuhata-san a little closer as he gets the Strawberry for Homura. "It has a nice atmosphere. Downstairs is lively with people playing games, and up her is nice and cozy."

    Then the ice cream arrives and she excitedly accepts it, "Thank you, Furuhata-san!" Soon she's tasting it and she looks far from disappointed.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura smiles at the compliment, and shrugs as Madoka wonders how hard it is to live on her own. "I'm actually a bit more experienced than I look, and I do have a well-paying job. It's not that hard to take care of yourself, just a bit time-consuming sometimes."

On the subject of parents, Homura pauses before saying. "Well, meeting mine might be a bit hard, but if they're in town again I'll introduce you. I'd also like to meet your parents again some day, Madoka-chan. You have the coolest mom, and your dad is really thoughtful."

Homura seems a bit unaffected by the cute boy. When Madoka thanks him by name he hesitates, and Homura says, "Ah, this is a friend of mine, Madoka Kaname. Mamoru-kun knows her, too. Madoka-chan, this is Motoki Furuhata. He's in the same class as Mamoru-kun. His family actually owns this place."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaname-san!" says Motoki, before going back to work.

With strawberry ice cream in hand, Homura starts to eat hers while watching the expression on Madoka's face. Madoka seems to like it? Good. "Well? Does it taste like pumpkin pie?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    A soft hum comes from Madoka, "You seem to me like the reliable type so I actually wasn't worried about you taking care of yourself." She shakes her head slightly before smiling, "I just thought it might be very lonely not having anyone to go home to every night." With a brighter smile she adds, "Or being there for someone coming home even later than you!"

    On a similarly related topic she adds, "I'm really lucky to have the parents that I do. Mom really is the coolest, I try to live up to her example but she's so amazing I always fall short!" This time her words are more complimentary to her mom than a put down to herself. Going back just a little bit in the conversation she comments, "If it ever does feel lonely maybe I could come have a sleepover at your apartment?" Sleepovers are an important part of being friends!

    She wonders then if she was too quick to use the boy's name after she picked it up from Homura as it seems to surprise him, but she quickly has something to say. "You know Mamoru-kun also, Furuhata-san?" Then an, "Oh! They do? It's very nice here." She almost asks if they also own the Karaoke place in Mitakihara, but just manages to keep from bothering him too much while he's trying to work.

    She eats more of her ice cream then and nods happily to Homura, "It tastes just pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream on it." She takes a small bite rather than a lick and shows the toothmarked spot to Homura, "It even has small pieces of real pie in it!" She starts walking over to a small table with two chairs by it, "How is yours Homura-chan?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura is reliable? Well, she kindof has to be, to live her lifestyle and go off and fight Witches regularly. She supposes it makes sense to call her that, though Homura doesn't think of herself in that light very often. "It does get lonely sometimes. Sometimes I have a friend spend the night, and Amy keeps me company, but I wouldn't mind it if you came over sometimes. I have a really big screen we could use for movies or something, if you wanted."

Homura grins a bit exasperatedly, saying, "Your mother is cool, yeah, but don't underesimate yourself either. I think she's proud of you, and she'd be even more proud if she saw how amazing you really are. .. but yeah, we should have a sleepover! We'd have the place to ourselves, too."

Homura hears the description of the ice cream, and looks at the bite that Madoka shows her. "Pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream. Sounds tasty. Mine's good. I like strawberry a lot. If I could find a place that sold melon-flavored ice cream I'd probably go for that, too. I can never seem to find that flavor, though."

Homura follows Madoka to the table, taking one of the seats and making herself comfortable.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka sits down and gets comfy in her chair. She turns her ice cream cone bit by bit as she eats it so no part of the outside gets to cold, keeping it from dripping down the edge of the small sugar cone. "That sounds like a lot of fun! What kind of movies do you like, Homura-chan? I like comedies the most, but sometimes also scary movies." With a little blush she adds, "I usually watch those with Sayaka-chan, because she doesn't mind when I get scared and hide my face on her shoulder..."

    She smiles happily when Homura says she is enjoying her ice cream also, making a faint nod when she mentions an uncommon flavor she'd enjoy. It's very understated, as if she wasn't really paying attention. But actually she's storing that information away- Christmas is coming up, after all!

    "Proud of me?" That makes her embarrassed and a bit shy- but so do the rest of Homura's words, "I think she is in some ways. I know I've never given her a reason to be really upset with me." This brings her to another topic of conversation which she is visibly reluctant to bring up. She has an ice cream cone to help hide this fact but she looks fairly thoughtful as she licks her ball of ice cream into a swirly cylinder above the sugar cone.

    She is very curious about something, but she's also enjoying having a very normal conversation with Homura. She also remembers how the other girl got a little sad when their last fun thing ended up complicated. In the end, though, curiosity wins out.

    "Homura-chan," she asks, looking up over the edge of her ice cream, "that magical girl you told Mami-san about, the one that was able to always stick to her beliefs. Was... was that me?"

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura eats her ice cream bit by bit, conquering eat bite before moving on to claim more territory. She eats slowly enough to savor it, but not enough to really let it melt. She only pauses to talk to Madoka. "Well, I kinda like action flicks. Comedies, especially light-hearted ones, are good by me. I tend to get picky about horror movies because it's not really easy to scare me anymore..."

Homura pauses a bit before adding, "... though, I mean, if you wanted to hide your face on my shoulder, I wouldn't mind."

Homura's already started thinking of a Christmas present for Madoka... Christmas shopping always has to start early because stores always run out of things. Besides, from Homura's point of view, it would be the first time she ever got to share a Christmas with Madoka. How could she pass that up?

Homura hears Madoka ask about something she said earlier. Homura's expression turns a bit dour, which is an odd juxtaposition against the way she eats her ice cream. Between bites, she says, "... Yeah, actually. It was you. I just didn't want to say that in front of Mami-san. I didn't want to encourage her to push you into making a wish, and I didn't want to prick her ego, but the truth is..."

Homura eats a bit more ice cream, stalling to think of how to explain what she meant.

"Mami-san is a nice person, don't get me wrong. She's strong. She has to be, in order to survive being a Puella Magi for years, but... she can only take so much. She has a breaking point, and it's a scary one. I don't want to get into details because I can't accuse her of things she hasn't done yet, but... I still worry about her sometimes."

Homura almost doesn't want to say the next bit, but she adds, "... the only other magical girl I know that well, who has strong beliefs but eventually changes... is... Sayaka Miki. She starts off with good intentions, but... the harder she fights, the more she realizes that the world isn't as fair as she thinks it is, and the more she tries to resist that, the harder she is on herself and those around her. I don't really think she's cut out to be a magical girl, and I think it'd be best if she never made a wish, but that's not something I can really stop."

"Kyouko gave up on her sense of justice a long time ago, and as for me... well... I was on the edge and would've gone over if you didn't pull me back from it."

Homura stops talking, eating her ice cream, what she was once doing for fun she's now doing for comfort. It does make it easier to talk about, though it's still difficult.

"So yeah... you're the exception. You were always kind, always hopeful, and you always had your heart in the right place, no matter what. I've seen you get scared, and I've seen you regret your choices, but not once have I ever seen you falter morally."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods and thinks about movies while using the time Homura talks to eat more of her own ice cream. She smiles behind the cone when she adds that she wouldn't mind if Madoka got scared while watching a movie with her. "I get scared pretty easy, but it's nice being scared when you know you're not actually in any danger. You should show me your favorite action movies though, Homura-chan." She tilts her head a little, "In your line of work I bet they're good for inspiration, too." Especially with the arsenal she's seen the dark haired Puella pull out from time to time.

    Before going to America Christmas was mostly about KFC and romance for Madoka; mostly the KFC. But she's learned a little bit more about the tradition and the gift giving so it's definitely in her mind more than it might otherwise be. She also loves an excuse to be able to do nice things for all her friends, so she's really looking forward to it this year.

    Then her question has the affect she was afraid it would, but it also gets her a lot of information. Even more than she was asking for. She's grateful for it even as she feels bad for taking the lightheartedness away from her friend. She'd really like to do something with her and have the entire time be fun, but things are so complicated...

    "It's so strange to hear that I was such an amazing person. There have been times when I've thought, 'If only I were a magical girl too, I know I would be very proud of myself,' but then I see all the terrible things you all have to go through and it makes me think I wouldn't be strong enough, that I couldn't handle that kind of pressure." She looks up away from her ice cream and into Homura's eyes, "Hearing that though... it makes me wonder if maybe I am."

    It's time for her to frown a little herself, "I'm sorry. I know that's not what you want to hear me say. I meant what I told Mami-san, though. I haven't really thought about anything I'd want to wish for anyway, and if I did it'd have to be something that was 'really worth it'." She eats her own ice cream for a little while longer.

    "I think you're wrong about one thing, though. I think Sayaka-chan would make a very good magical girl. I know she would always try to do what she thought was the right thing. Sometimes she's wrong about something and you can never convince her otherwise, but she's not a bad person." She smiles to Homura, "I think she'd be a good magical girl- but not the kind of magical girl that you, Kyouko-san, and Mami-san are."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura has a lot of problems, and it'd be rare to have a single time where she can forget all of it, but she's still grateful for the times when she can forget how bad things can get. Even if it's only for a bit.

Maybe one day she'll feel safe enough to relax, but even if the future ends up looking bright, the past still happened and she'd need time to recover from that.

"... honestly, Madoka-chan, I wouldn't mind you being a magical girl if the cost wasn't so high. The fact remains that you asked me to stop you, and I promised you that I would. I just... I can't stand it. I can't stand to see you sacrifice yourself again, or get hurt again... especially not after seeing that it isn't what you really want. You don't have to suffer like that. No matter how much you might want to protect others, the truth is that Kyubey isn't really selling the chance to be a savior. He's selling a wish and a death trap."

Homura's ice cream starts getting ignored. She's eaten enough that any melted part would just melt into the cone instead of over the side, but she's distracted for the moment. "... well, I don't know. I mean, you never stopped being a good person, but that doesn't change the fact that you asked me to go back in time to stop you. You did regret it. There's no denying that."

Homura sighs at the mention of Madoka making a Wish. "You're right. It's not what I want to hear. I don't think anyone should make a contract. I've never seen a Puella Magi grow to old age. It would be one thing if death was just a risk... but honestly it's more like certainty, and death for a Puella Magi is never pleasant."

The talk about Sayaka makes her frown a little harder. Has she been frowning this whole time? Well, probably. She does finally take a bite out of her cone, though.

"Maybe I'd agree with that assessment, if she were a Sailor Senshi, or a Pretty Cure, or a device user, or any kind of magical girl other than Puella Magi... but the world that Puella Magi live in is very hostile to idealists and would-be heroes. Everything about it, from the scarcity of Grief Seeds to the karmic backlash, invites cruelty and conflict. Kyouko complains about what Miss White did to her, and from the perspective of a normal person it's awful, but really... that kind of thing is par-for-the-course for us. That's the average case. In reality, it can and often does get much worse."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I feel the same way. If I didn't know about all the things I've seen, or about any of the things you told me, I think I'd have made a contract with Kyubey almost as soon as I could think up something to wish for. But getting to see for myself what it's actually like..." She looks into her melting ice cream, turning it slowly around in her hands. "I want to be the kind of person who can help and protect others. That's why I enjoy being a Nurse's assistant so much even though it can be difficult at times. It takes up a lot of my time where I could have fun with you or other friends, and it takes time away from my studies, that are already difficult. ...but I like it. I like knowing I made someone's day just a little better, even if I really didn't do all that much."

    Madoka eats more of her ice cream and when there's not much left pushes it down into the cone itself before taking a bite out of it, crunching on it a little while Homura talks. It still tastes very good! A sweet contrast to their slightly bitter conversation.

    She doesn't say it but she wonders about why she asked Homura to stop her from making a contract with Kyubey. Is it because she's an idealist? She knows that on some level she is; she's not as stubborn or bull-headed about it as some but she can't stand the thought of magical girls fighting each other when they so often do.

    That and one other thing. "Even as bad as it all sounds... I can't help but think there must be some kind of better way. You and Mami-san talked about working together. I remember that you said it didn't work out for you." She doesn't say what she's thinking, 'but maybe if you tried again..?'

    "Even if Puella Magi have it very hard, there must be some hope for you all. There must be something to make it better. I know I don't have the right to say that, because I'm not a magical girl and I haven't gone through what all of you have." Madoka shakes her head a little, "But even knowing that... I think there must be some way to not have a horrible death like you're saying. There must be some hope for Puella Magi. And for you too, Homura-chan."

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura continues to eat her pink strawberry ice cream, listening as Madoka speaks. It isn't until Madoka's done that Homura responds. "If there is any hope for us, I haven't seen it. I've been going back and forth for... what... 8 years or so? 8 years of the same month over and over and nothing has worked out even remotely right. If anything I just feel like it's gotten worse. This timeline has been a very rare exception... but it's not like I figured anything out. It's not like I won the game or anything. The game just changed on me, and while things aren't any easier I feel like it's a lot more forgiving."

Homura's eyes glance towards the window, watching people and cars in the streets below go by. "... but even then I don't trust it. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe I'm just pessimistic..."

Her purple eyes turn back to Madoka, and she leans over the table. "... but I've tried to find better ways. I'm still trying, but I can't make people cooperate with me. I can't make them agree with me. I can't make them not fight me."

Homura shakes her head, saying, "... no, the only thing I can really do is spend the time I have left living the life I want to live. Many people have tried to tell me that I'm wrong, that I'm giving up too easy... but I can't believe that. I know they mean well, I know you mean well, but I can't have faith in that. Not when the proof is stacked so heavily against it."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka finishes her ice cream slowly as Homura talks, though she has to pause. 8 years of the same month? That's... almost impossible to imagine. And yet she's seen Homura's time magic several times now. She's seen her catch people off guard by knowing things she shouldn't be able to. Hearing that kind of pessimism makes her very sad. She tries to hide it. This would work on most people, but Homura's had far too much experience reading her.

    "You can't make people cooperate with you. You can't force them to do something like that. But you can cooperate with them; I've seen you do that. So long as you keep trying, I think you'll find out how." She also for the first time begins to wonder a little bit about Homura really feels about her. She cares- that much is obvious. But if she's been trying and failing to help Madoka for so long... is she, right now, just a statistic? Is she just one of 8 years worth of Madoka's that the timetraveler has tried and failed to save?

    It's a hurtful thought. In the end though Madoka can't believe that of her friend. She just has to think of the times she's seen Homura smile when they've done things together, and she feels those smiles were authentic.

    Her expression changes a little then at Homura's final words. Not sad, or hurt, or offended. Something else. Confidence? Courage? Strength? It's hard to place. "...I think you should. You said you were trying to protect me for so long because I helped you when you needed it. If that's really true, I think you should have some faith in me, Homura-chan. Even if it's only a little."

    The look fades after a moment and after one more she holds up the paper that was around her ice cream cone, now eaten and gone. "Thank you for the ice cream, Homura-chan. If I haven't upset you, would you like to play some of the games in the arcade together?" There is still time to have more fun tonight, she decides, even if she once more put Homura into a grim mood.

Homura Akemi has posed:
Homura scowls. She looks outside the window so Madoka won't think she's scowling at her specifically, but she is scowling."Maybe I can cooperate with some people, but not all of them. I'm not going to cooperate with Riventon, or hell, even Kyouko. Even with all of her victim complex Kyouko pulled some really bad things and she could've killed innocent people. I can forgive it, because I know how hard it is to be a Puella Magi, and how hard it is to care about other people when you get screwed over and over... but no matter how much I understand it, I can't cooperate with that."

"WPS pulls some evil things, I'll admit, but ultimately we're still trying to protect people and make the world a better place, even if our methods are questionable at best."

Madoka asks Homura to have faith in her, and Homura looks at her. It's kindof a stare, and it might be hard to tell what that expression means, but she looks at Madoka in silence for a long while.

"Have faith in you? ... I do have faith in you... but... the previous you that went through the pain of being a magical girl and knew what it was like, I have faith in her too. She's you, in every way that matters. Only the circumstances have changed."

Homura feels like her answer wasn't good enough... but she's not going to lie to Madoka about something like this, either.

Homura is a bit sour now, and she finishes her ice cream shortly after Madoka does. When Homura hears the offer to go play video games, she says, "... yeah, sure, let's go." Silently, Homura is glad for the chance to put her mind on something else.