It's a short time after Mami just helped Sailor Mars rescue her grandpa. Mars had to make sure that her grandpa was safely lying in his bed, and then she had to get her groceries before they spent too much time out in the elements. She apologizes for keeping Mami waiting while she has to do this running around, but before long she's bringing Mami to her room and offering her a place next to her kneeling table.
By now, Mars has dropped henshin. She's just Rei Hino now, and while she doesn't know Mami that well, somehow she feels safe dropping henshin right in front of her. After a bit, Rei comes back with a teapot full of green tea, a couple of teacups, and a tray full of cookies. She takes a seat next to the table and begins to pour out each cup, starting with Mami's and then pouring her own.
After setting the teapot down, Rei looks to Mami with a smile. "So... how long have you been with Virtue, Tomoe-san?"
"A long time." she says, stalling while she's thinking about it. "Almost a year now. I think it was a little bit before things started to get really crazy around here. We hadn't even picked the name, we just agreed to help each other out - but this is what we became. Tsukasa Amagawa's idea."
"Thank you so much." she says earnestly. "Usually I'm the one with guests over... not the guest myself." she admits. "It's... different to be on the other side. I appreciate you being so nice. You are a very gracious host."
Rei listens as Mami recounts Virtue's history. She watches her with violet eyes as she takes her teacup and sips. She makes an impressed 'hmm' sound at hearing how long Mami's been around. "Almost a year... Most of us joined about half a year ago, around the time of the whole Corvus... incident. We met Tsukasa back then. He was really nice."
Rei smiles as Mami thanks her, saying, "Well... you helped me save my Grandpa. Having you over is the least I could do. I'm happy to meet another member of Virtue, especially a veteran."
At the compliment on her hosting, Rei giggles, "I tend to have guests here once in a while. Most often it's just the other senshi, but I appreciate the compliment. It's very kind of you."
Mami takes a sip of the tea, leans back and mentally counts. "Maybe 10 months, yes." she says after a while. "Like I said, we didn't get really... active until everything got hectic." she sighs.
"I missed out on a lot of things around here, because Tsukasa had me running all over like a chicken with its head cut off. I got to see some nice locales in Japan, too. But as far as I know I'm the only Puella Magi in Virtue right now, and that's why they sent me to handle some problems. Now I'm back in Tokyo though, at least for right now."
"I would hope it's what anyone would do upon seeing that scene." Mami says. Her tone indicates she knows, or believes, that's not true. "Saving people is the right thing to do. I made a promise to myself I would never run away from someone in need." She doesn't add the 'again' that was part of that promise. Some memories are too painful.
"Your tea is delicious too, Hino-san."
Rei nods, and says, "Yeah... things have been hectic, haven't they? It's been a constant flurry of one crisis after the next... but I think even with all of the problems we have we aren't doing that badly."
When Mami mentions being a Puella Magi, Mars blinks at her. She pauses for a moment, then softly says, "... oh. It's like that. I see." She paues for a moment, then adds, "A friend of mine, Tuxedo Kamen actually, mentioned Puella Magi to me. He told me that you had a rough life, and that I should help you if I could."
Rei chuckles, "Of course, the only Puella I've met is Kyouko-san. She's quite a character. It's hard to believe that she's the same kind of magical girl that you, as polite as you are."
The miko nods as Mami says that she hopes anyone would help. "I think a lot of people like us would. Especially members of Virtue. I can't promise that my grandpa is anything resembling a gentleman, but I can't imagine him doing anything that would actually deserve what she was trying to do."
The compliment to her tea earns another smile, and Rei inclines her head. "I'm glad! Do you like tea, in general? I enjoy it, but a lot of my friends are... a bit rowdy, and aren't always into this kind of thing."
"Well, the good news is, it seems like whenever a crisis happens, people stand up to oppose it." she says, smiling. "With the Dark Kingdom came the Sailor Senshi. With Easter came the Guardians. With witches, Puella Magi."
"Oh! Kamen-san said that did he." she says and there's an ever-so-slight pinkness to her cheeks. It goes away quickly though. "Well, it's not sunshine and roses, but..." she sits up and sighs. "I really think that it's all in perspective. We sacrifice a lot, yes. But we also gained wishes, each of us did, wishes beyond our grasp. The life we lead now, is how we pay for it. But I wouldn't even be alive if I hadn't made my wish. So with my hardships... I make my payment."
"Sakura-san and I have a history." she adds with a grimace. "I thought she was coming around but she continues to make life difficult for herself... and others. That might be a bit impolite for me to say, but I also believe it's the honest truth."
"No, that seemed a disproportionate response. I was even more sure of it when she referred to him as a meal. That's not the words someone who is acting out punishment uses." she says, her face growing a bit cold.
"Oh I love tea, Hino-san. Especially when properly made and served, by a delightful hostess, such as yourself. I also enjoy serving it. Some day you simply must come by my apartment." she says, clapping her hands together.
Rei nods in agreement, saying, "Yes, that's right. It's good to see so many people come together to protect the innocent and oppose the darkness. Even if things get rough sometimes, there's strength in that unity."
Rei notices the blush, but doesn't know what to make of it. Rei listens to Mami's side of it, and it's certainly a bit more hopeful than the impression she got, but she also has to admit that it's not something she's personally involved in. "So you get a wish, and you pay for it through combat. I guess there's something to be said for getting paid up front."
Rei listens to Mami's explaination of Kyouko. She grins sheepishly, and says, "She's too strong willed to really... well, I don't want to say that she can't be relied upon, but she's certainly unpredictable. She has helped us, a couple of times. She's really upset at the Dark Kingdom, though."
On the subject of her grandpa, Rei nods. "Yeah... I actually met that fox girl before. She was attacking a girl at Infinity University. The girl she attacked was very brave, and probably had some magical potential, but that foxgirl overpowered her. I had to step in there, too."
At the compliment, Rei blushes slightly, and at invitation she nods profusely. "I'd love to! It'd be nice to see your apartment, Tomoe-san."
"mmmm." Mami says, quietly. A lot of the things Rei said here apply to Virtue in general, but not to Mami Tomoe. She wishes she hadn't spent so much time working alone, and it weighs heavy on her heart for a moment.
"I think a lot of the people who are so down on this life are really upset they didn't know what to wish for, or didn't know what they were turning their life into. That's why when I see new girls who might become Puella Magi I try to let them see what I do... and make sure they know what they're getting into." And know that it's really cool, but Mami doesn't say that, of course. It sounds far less noble.
"Well, I'm upset at the Dark Kingdom for what they've done to her... and your friend, Mamoru. And all of the other people they've hurt. I have a lot on my plate, admittedly, but if you ever need to call on my help for anything, please don't hesitate."
Mami tilts her head a bit. "So do you think she wasn't a youma?" Mami hadn't honestly considered her being a human girl, the way she'd disappeared."
"Oh! oh! We'll have to set a time, then. You can call me on the Virtue phone - my normal phone... doesn't get much use. Sometimes I forget to charge it, aheh." Another warning sign that the girl might be all work and no chance to play.
Rei listens to Mami's opinion on being a Puella Magi, and how the other girls see it. She can't really claim to know as much as the girl who has been living that life long enough to be a veteran, but she can try to imagin what that's like. "... yeah, well, I mean... If you only get one wish, then I could see how that could lead to a lot of regrets. If you didn't think things all the way through, or if you expected your wish to go a certain way and it didn't. I guess if someone's considering it, they should at least be shown what it's like, and what they're getting into. Showing them would be far more honest than anything you could actually say to them."
At Mami's offer for help, Rei nods, "I'd be happy to have your help. They've hurt a lot of people, not just us, so a lot of people have a stake in that fight."
Rei shrugs at the mention of Ayana, and says, "I'm not sure. I can't really say she was completely human, but I don't think she was just your average monster either. Last time I fought her was a bit harder, but I was alone aside from her victim and I didn't realize that getting close to her was bad."
Rei listens as Mami talks about setting a time. Her normal phone doesn't get much use...? She's starting to get a picture of what this girl's life might be like. There's a bit of sadness in Rei's eyes for a moment, before she smiles and says, "Yeah... let's set a time. I'm going out of town soon, for a week. Senshi business, really. Mercury-chan thinks that there might be something to find in Paris. I wouldn't mind meeting you for tea before or after that, though."
"As for my phone..." Rei reaches into her pockets, and produces two phones. One is red with the alchemical symbol for Mars on the back. Another is a bit more plain, white, and has a keychain with a plastic raven hanging on the end. "I have a burner phone for... you know, magical business. For more civillian stuff I use a different phone. I don't always have my Virtue phone on me, but if you try to contact me there I can usually get to it sooner or later."
Mami just shrugs a bit. "I think though, it's a hard thing to accept even if you're prepared for it. I could talk my head off but it's not the same as doing it. It's just by then it's too late to go back or make another wish." She says, with a sigh.
"Sometime after you return from Paris sounds ideal. I'm working with an..." no, not an ally. not a friend. "...aquaintance of mine on a big problem that's headed this way, so I'm a little bit more busy than I might otherwise be."
The fact that Mami and Rei's phone preferences are different says a lot about the differences in their social lives - Mami carries her Virtue phone everywhere, but often leaves her too-silent and too-useless civilian phone at home. Just a weight in her pocket. For Rei, it sounds to be different. Mami is a bit jealous.
"Well, if it's /important/ that's what the Virtue ones are for - but I think we can just call each other for setting the time for our next visit." she adds, with a tinge of regret. That jealousy is boiling up - she might well become angry or sad in just a moment. For Mami, both would be unacceptable in the presence of her host.
"I'm sorry, Hino-san. I will have to leave shortly." she says, bowing a bit. "I should probably knock another witch off before I head to bed tonight." Not what she was planning to do, but suddenly she feels less like wandering the streets alone and without clear purpose.
Rei listens, considering what Mami says. "I guess for me, it's a bit different. I don't really have a wish... instead I have a destiny to follow. At the same time, I can't really say that I regret that at all."
Rei hears Mami's choice of words. 'Aquaintance' is such a cold term, especially for someone who'se working with you on a big problem. It more or less confirms what she thought about the older girl. "Sure... busy... I guess a lot of things are coming to a head. I wish you luck, in whatever that is."
Rei, probably thankfully, doesn't pick up on Mami's jealousy. The loneliness she did pick up on tells a clear enough story, however. Rei reaches behind her to find a notepad and pen, writes her number in the corner of a page, and then rips off the corner to hand to Mami. "Please, call me anytime. It doesn't have to be important. You seem like a nice person, Tomoe-san."
"Of course, if it is important," adds Rei with a smile, "then you know where to find me, whether by Virtue phone or something else."
As Mami goes to leave, Rei nods. "Well, I was glad to have you over, Tomoe-san. Don't be afraid to stop by. It would be nice to get to know you better."