Sunsets

It's sunset; it's nearly freezing out, and once the sun is down, it will be. There isn't much in the way of wind, at least, but every time there's the littlest gust, it's chillier. At least the sky is a beautiful thing, oranges and reds and deep pinks fading to grey, lavender, salmon. The clouds are mostly settled on the horizon, the space at the crown of the heavens turning darker and darker blue, and the stars beginning to come out. The moon is already up.

Homura's rooftop no longer has broken glass on it-- someone must have swept it up after the meeting/party at some point.

There's a boy up there, sitting on the HVAC unit behind and to the left of the stairwell door; he's huddled in a cape as black as night, watching the sunset with a pensive and unhappy look on his beautiful face. He is, of course, Prince Endmion -- the strongest soldier of the Dark Kingdom. He's silent.

    The door leading to the rooftop opens, and a heavily-coated figure comes out first. The purple furry hat she wears might hide her face from certain angles, but the long flowing black hair, and the glint of her purple eyes, or the shield around the outside of her jacket's arm, might give her away.

    Holding the door open, she glances around, notices Endymion, and pauses as she looks at him. Well, he's been well-behaved before. No reason not to trust him now.

    She steps forward, holding the door open so that Madoka can go through. She calls out to Endymion, saying, "Nice sunset. Mind if we join you?"

    Of course there's no broken glass. Homura wouldn't bring Madoka up here without making sure of that.

    Madoka is about to step through the door when Homura talks, only to pause and give her a slightly curious look before walking through the door to the roof. She's a little glad it's not as infamously sticky as a certain other one. She is likewise bundled up for the cold, in a cream colored coat with lots of fluffy white faux fur along the edges and big floofy balls covering the buttons. There's a scarf around her heck but for the moment she doesn't have her mittens on, though they are in her pocket.

    She stops again once she sees the armor clad young man sitting on the HVAC, lifting a hand to her chest briefly, "Ma-" Wait. That's not it, is it? What did Homura say he called himself? "Endymion-kun..." After a moment she steps out of the way so Homura can shut the door.

    "It's good to see you again," she finally adds after a few moments. It's not until then that she actually notices the sunset, "It is really pretty. I didn't know there was such a good view up here."

Endymion startles when the door opens, but he's unruffled by the time Homura spots him, and he looks as cautious as she does until she calls out-- and then Madoka comes out after her, and those muddy grey-red eyes consider them both for a moment. He pulls his cape a little tighter against a gust which ruffles its edges and his hair. "Sure," he calls back to Homura, then checks himself, "I mean, no. I don't mind."

His mouth twitches up a little at the corner at Madoka's familiarity; it's something he instantly decides he likes, which is odd enough for anyone, but presumably very much so for someone like him. "That's right. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name at the meeting, but I think it's good to see you, as well."

After a moment, he looks back to the sunset, briefly hunching his shoulders against the wind again. "It is," he grants, then slides off the HVAC and down its front until he's sitting on the rooftop instead, back against the metal. "But let me join you, instead. It's windier up there. This is, happily, the lee side."

    Homura smirks slighty as her eyes study Endymion. In spite of all the circumstances, some of them very terrible, she here with two of her favorite people. This is a good thing.

    Homura gestures towards Madoka and says, "Endymion, meet Madoka Kaname. Madoka, prince Endymion."

    In a brief timestopped moment, in an instant where Endymion wont notice, Homura is touching Madoka's hand, whispering into her ear. "Whatever you do, don't talk about his past as Mamoru Chiba. Calling back those kinds of memories are dangerous for him. I can explain later, but for now... just don't bring it up."

    Back in normal time, Homura walks towards a nearby wall to lean against, and leans against it. "Please, join us. We welcome the company." Speaking of, she glances towards Madoka, to make sure she's warm enough, and doing alright in general. She's not worried persay, just mindful.

    Madoka looks down a little when the handsome young man comments that he doesn't know her name. It gives Homura the moment she needs to introduce them before she can do it herself. She starts to take a step forward, only for the world to turn dull and grey, the cold wind stopped and the young man before them frozen in place.

    She's seen this enough times by now to recognize it instantly and looks over to Homura. Her eyes widen a little at the warning and she looks suddenly conflicted. "So I shouldn't talk about anything we did together, or how he was? I don't want to do anything dangerous that would hurt him. I won't say anything."

    Time resumes and Madoka flounders for a brief moment, seeming to wear almost the same thoughtful look twice in a row from Endymion's perspective. She looks over to Homura and gives her friend a small smile that says she'll be alright. And then she does step forward, placing her hand lightly over her chest to indicate herself, "Homura-chan is right. I'm Madoka Kaname. It really is very nice to meet you, Prince Endymion."

    There's a quiet concern in her soft pink eyes that is odd for someone only just being introduced, and as she tries to meet his rusty red ones she takes another step forward, reaching out and trying to catch one of his hands in her own.

    She'll make the motions to shake it, she did spend years in America, but beneath the greeting gesture her hand squeezes onto his with gentle strength, her eyes on his lowering slightly at the corners while she wills to him her sympathy and worry. But beneath it all lies also warmth, care, and hope that one day he can remember the times they supported each other through brief moments like this alone. If she cannot say it aloud with words, she'll try to let him know she's here with pure emotion.

    So long as he doesn't deftly evade her grip, that is.

There's another slight smile, and the Dark Prince is on his feet again in a moment, sweeping his cape back and offering Madoka a cursory bow. This does mean he misses the potentially redundant thoughtful look. When Madoka reaches to shake his hand, however, he looks amused and allows this--

--and nothing happens. It's like trying to connect emotionally with a smooth and flat obsidian wall, reflective and dark. There's nothing from him, none of the warmth or peace, none of the calm stillness, the golden and accepting steadiness and welcome. Nothing at all. And sending to him...

As said, there's a wall, cold and featureless.

It's almost as though his mind, or maybe his heart, were trapped somewhere inside, bricked up with a phantom cask of rare and well-aged wine. There's nothing natural about it.

He doesn't notice, he only smiles, and the smile is honestly kind as he takes his hand back. "You as well, Kaname-san."

Endymion seems to just take Homura's invitation at face value; he's still not doing anything evil, still not trying anything, doing anything untoward. He moves to lean against the wall, too, leaving enough space to avoid being intimidating, and to let Madoka lean where she will. "Everything is strange," he says without preamble, after a quiet moment wherein all their faces are painted in the sunset colors. "I'm sorry for that. But I'm glad that sunsets don't change. Even if you're far from the sun, that's something you can know for a fact is happening somewhere, all the time. Likewise with its rising."

Awkwardly, he stops, then runs a hand down his face and glances toward Homura-- but he still doesn't know what to say. His mouth shuts again and he looks between the tallest buildings, watching the bright lines against the clouds greying further above.

    Homura returns the reassuring smile, but her eyes still track Madoka as she approaches the dark prince and reaches out to touch him. Again, not worried, but mindful. To think, she only came up in henshin so she could carry things more easily.

    Her eyes widen a millimeter when Madoka reaches out to touch Endymion. When he doesn't even react, there's a moment of sheer terror. Not for Madoka. Nothing happening is good for Madoka, but it's also very very bad for Endymion. Her face is back to its normal stony self by the time anyone looks back at her, rage buried deep down.

    "The sun rises and sets. Things begin and end, whether we want them to or not. There's something to be said for enjoying the moment, however strange it may be."

    In her mind, she thinks dangerously. Yeah, but if I had my choice, I would grab the sun and never let it set.

    Homura's eyes go to Madoka, and she smiles at her. "Maybe you'd like some hot chocolate, Madoka-chan?" and then, to Endymion, she adds, "I also have coffee, if you want some. Real coffee this time." Not that you fell for it the last time she brought awful coffee.

    The mix of emotion in Madoka's eyes is briefly mingled with confusion as she feels the utter nothingness that meets her handshake. Whatever she was expecting it wasn't a seamless stone wall of featureless blankness. As he responds politely and retrieves his hand her own hovers empty in the air for a moment, almost as if not even noticing the physical warmth of flesh suddenly missing. She mumbles an affirmative sound and steps back, going over to stand by Homura with an expression of mild confusion, her eyes blinking a few times and her mouth a small o.

    His mention of the sunset doesn't do much to snap her out of the reverie, only making her confused, though more aware of the confusion. Also, something else. A small pulse of sadness, like settled murk suddenly kicked up from the bottom of a lake clouding her emotions. Her eyes turn downward and avert from both Endymion and the sunset itself, the analogy reminding her of another one she heard so recently.

    Like a masochist she holds close the pain, not savoring it but instead clinging to it as the connection to something once better that it is, quietly repeating in her own words while returning her eyes to the painted sky, "Even if you know how it happens, the sunset is just as pretty..."

    She hears her name spoken and she blinks before looking over to Homura. She doesn't bother hiding the muted pain in her eyes from her friend, knowing she'll understand where it's coming from even if she doesn't recognize the words spoken as once that passed between Takashi and herself on their ill fated final date. "Yes, please. Thank you, Homura-chan."

Oddly enough, Homura's stone-faced comment gets another smile from the lightly armored boy, murky red eyes lighter for a moment-- but not the brighter red that others have mentioned. Only slightly less lost. "Sometimes it's better when things end. I think it was Churchill said 'if you're going through hell, keep going,' right? Even bad things end eventually. Goals can be accomplished or failed, but time keeps going on. There's certainly something to be said for enjoying moments, but there's rather a lot to be said in favor of knowing the world will keep turning, even after we're all gone."

Then Endymion rocks back on his heels and says overly casually, "Even if you have to make sure of it by killing a Witch the size of Ayres Rock."

Very few people have gotten the message that the Dark Kingdom's not out to rule the world, but destroy it. 'Very few' as in like, one. Maybe two. Obviously Endymion is not one of these people. He grins briefly at Madoka. "Science can be very pretty, too. It's just that scientists are like art critics. If you like mystery, they're kind of a downer."

This said, he pushes off the wall, looking toward Homura again. For a long moment, he's tempted, clearly considering it. Then, regretfully, "I appreciate the offer, but I don't have any more time. And I really shouldn't, anyway. It would probably make a fight to the death awkward, if it ends up coming to that after Walpurgisnacht."

Wait. No. Wait. Is he teasing her? He's-- that's a really terribly familiar look in his eyes, even if they are the wrong color.

    Homura's hand reaches into her shield, producing a still-steaming cup of hot chocolate. She idly wonders if her past self would ever imagine using this shield as basically a picnic basket, and the thought of it being used like that causes an amused smile to curl up her lips. She hands it to Madoka, catiously, saying, "It's still hot. Fair warning."

    The pain in Madoka's eyes gives Homura pause, her smile dropping slightly before coming back as something reassuring. She reaches behind Madoka with an arm and holds her for a moment, hoping to provide a bit of comfort.

    Then she turns to Endymion, raising an eyebrow at the Churchill quote, and then chuckling at the description of Walpurgisnacht.

    She then shrugs, pulling out a cup of coffee for herself, sipping it as it warms her hands. "You'd be surprised. It wouldn't be the first time I had to kill someone I shared a meal with. Besides..."

    Homura gives Endymion a mischevious smile, and states with a glint in her eyes, "You seem a decent fellow. I'd hate to kill you."

    She turns away from him and takes a sip of her coffee, as if she didn't just joke about killing an old friend. Then she says, "You know, us Puella Magi aren't really the team planning type. If you want strategy, the senshi might be a better contact. If you can handle the irony of that."

    She sideways glances at him, saying, "Sailor Venus might not be the best contact between the two of you, though. Sailor Moon, maybe? I could give her that burner number. For business reasons."

    This is probably a good time to envision Homura playing with toy boats. Well, ships really.

    Leaning against the wall next to Homura, Madoka is fairly still until she hears the quote from Endymion. With her gaze still on the horizon and it's bounty of color she nods once. "I believe that; I really do. No matter how difficult or sad things might be, I think everything will always turn out okay in the end just so long as people don't stop trying. Even the worst things can be overcome as long as the ones struggling against it still have hope."

    It's both a metaphor and it isn't. There's Endymion's, or rather Mamoru's current predicament and the struggle that everyone who cares about him is put in. There's Walpurgisnacht itself and the threat it represents, and moreover Homura's specific struggle against it- one she literally can not give up without losing herself at the same time. But it's also a simple truth to Madoka, who will almost without fail refuse to give in no matter what she faces, always believing there must be some better possible outcome, even if not the best one.

    She accepts the cup of hot-chocolate from Homura with a blink of surprise as it's pulled from the shield. Suddenly just having it in her hand she would understand, but this? She peers into the mug for a moment, only to glance at Homura's shield. She jangles the mug, causing the hot liquid to slosh around inside and cause a fresh plume of steam to rise, bringing with it the scent of chocolate.

    "...how did it stay inside..." she murmurs quietly to herself, staring even harder at her drink, so perfectly contained within it's mug.

    Madoka blows on it before taking a sip. "It's good..!"

    She may have just missed the entire back and forth about fights to the death in her bewilderment.

The response Madoka has to the quote makes Endymion look a little wry, a little wistful. "Or faith. Sometimes if hope doesn't work, faith will." Then he actually laughs out loud at Homura's return-trolling, and draws his cape around himself again as the sky darkens, shaking his head and still grinning-- then just smiling. It really is a marked difference from the unhappiness he'd been showing when they arrived.

"Magic," he tells Madoka conspiratorially, cheekily.

Lifting his eyebrows at Homura, Endymion looks dubious, then shrugs. "I don't know if she's much of a tactician. I'm probably supposed to find out, though. As long as you don't think it would endanger her, I suppose that's fine."

The boy glances up at the moon, then closes his eyes and just stands there for a second. "I have to go. Thank you both."

For what? --being kind, probably. Maybe something else.

But he's gone.

    Homura leans her head back against the wall, and then smiles at Madoka's bewilderment. "My shield can store a lot of things, Madoka-chan. It's magical like that."

    Another sip of her coffee, and then, "Yeah... you kindof have to believe that things will be better eventually, right? Otherwise there's no point in trying. I always assumed I'd win on my own strength. I never thought I'd just get lucky."

    She reaches up behind her head... only to realize that the wall is blocking her ability to do a full hairflip. She settles for flipping a loose strand of hair instead. "... but a win's a win, regardless of how you get it. I wont stop until I'm done. Not when I'm this close to getting everything I ever wanted."

    Endymion's comment on Sailor Moon earns him a sideways glance. No, true, she probably isn't. Still, Homura has an ulterior motive here, and it's not the kind of thing that would make Endymion's Queen very happy.

    To Homura, that's a good thing.

    Endymion starts to leave, and Homura waves at him. It isn't until he's already gone that she says, "Yeah, as if I'd allow you to die, jerk."

    With the prince gone, Homura looks down at her coffee cup, frowning. She then says to Madoka, "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to see that. I wonder how often he comes back here."

    "I have faith in my friends," Madoka replies quietly, even if Endymion's response wasn't something that needed one. It's another simple truth, and is truer now more than ever.

    Both Endymion and Homura both reply to her voiced confusion with a single response. 'Magic'. The simplistic obviousness of it has her flushing with embarrassment and shrinking a little against the wall as if somehow it will hide her when there are only two other people there. She hides her face a little by drinking some more of her hot chocolate, but finds that was a mistake as the heat it imbues in her only intensifies the warm feeling until it feels like her face is burning.

    "Goodbye!" Madoka manages to get out right as the handsome young man goes to leave, letting out a sigh and feeling bad her fluster kept her from being more articulate. "I should have at least said I hoped to see him again," she complains to no one.

    She looks over to Homura in time to catch the tiny hairflip, which takes her mind off of herself and draws a little giggle from her. She reaches over and teasingly flicks another small lock of hair on this side of her.

    She'd comment on Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus, except she doesn't know either them at all except from the meeting before. Instead she looks over to her friend and gives a shake of her head, "I'm not sure. ...but if he's coming here it must have some kind of draw to him. Maybe there's a memory here for him, or maybe this is just somewhere he feels safe and comfortable." Why a powerful Dark General strong enough to pick apart Frost Knight and blast him through walls would need to feel safe she has no idea.

    She makes a little noise, and then shifts a tiny bit closer to Homura as she leans against the wall, just close enough that their coats are brushing, maybe not felt but heard as the cloth slides with either of their movement. "The sunset is still going. It's really pretty tonight." She's quiet for a small moment before adding. "Sometimes it seems it's always like that for us, Homura-chan." She looks over to where Endymion, Mamoru was standing only moments before and then back to the sunset. "That there's always something to remind us about something sad when we're going to do something fun."

    Her voice is quiet and lowering in tone, perhaps indicative of some melancholy. After a moment of letting her comment linger in the air she shifts again, closing her eyes and taking another sip of hot chocolate before resting her head lightly on her friends shoulder. "But even more so I think it's the other way. Every time there's something sad there's also memories of things that are happy and fun."

    Homura looks beside her and sees her embarassed friend. She holds up her hand apologetically and says, "Sorry about that. I didn't want to explain in front of him while he's... like that. The less the enemy knows about my powers the better, though he could probably figure it out on his own eventually."

    She takes a sip of her coffee, before explaining, "My shield can hold a lot of things. Mostly I use it for weapons, or other things that I might need. So yeah, basically magic."

    She giggles at the hairflick, and responds by playfully flicking one of Madoka's pigtails. "Well, his girlfriend kissed him up here. Plus, I dunno... even with things as they are, I still feel like he's my friend. Under those rusty eyes, Mamoru Chiba is still there. Maybe he feels it too, or maybe he just hates the life he lives now and just wants a taste of something better." Homura is arrogant enough to believe that she has something better to offer than Queen Beryl, sure, but on the other hand considering it's Beryl it's not a very high bar.

    Glancing away from Madoka, hiding her face, she says, "That's why... when I eventually do fight him, it wont be to hurt him. It will be to save him. I haven't given up on him and I never will."

    As Madoka draws closer, Homura's arm goes right back around her, holding her close. "... yeah. It happens a lot, doesn't it? Just about every time." She leans against the other girl, resting her head on Madoka's pink hair. "... but even if this is sad, it still has a silver lining. He can be saved, and I have faith that he will be. Also, I still have fun with you, Madoka-chan."

    Though, Homura wonders for a moment whether or not she isn't just depressing Madoka. Always something sad comes up, no matter what. Maybe Homura just knows too much for her own good. "I guess it really can't be helped though. This is the kind of world we live in. It's dangerous and scary, but there's a lot of hope here, too."

    After a moment's pause, she says, "... At least, that's how I feel about it."

    A small shake of her head is given as Homura explains a tiny bit more, "It's okay. You were both right... it is magic." That's why it was so embarrassing!

    Madoka makes a tiny playful squeak as her pigtail is flicked, shaking her head in a way that causes the loosely gathered hair to tickle over Homura's hand. One only has to remember that she has a little brother to guess why that response comes so natural to her hair being teased. She considers Homura's hair for another moment. On the one hand it's mostly straight, but on the other it still retains a part from when it was continually braided. She reaches over to Homura, to one of the locks of hair in front of her ears, and testingly winds it around one of her fingers before quickly pulling it out. Will it pop back to straight? Will it make a curly-cue? Get just a bit wavy? She's intrigued!

    Mamoru's girlfriend kissed him here? To Madoka's level of knowledge that means Mamoru was kissing Usagi Tsukino on Homura's roof at some point. This, luckily, isn't so farfetched that it strains her imagination to confusion with the tenacity of henshin magic.

    But saying he still feels like Mamoru reminds Madoka of when she tried to take his hand, and she frowns a little. "He sounds like it and talks like it... but he doesn't -feel- like it, Homura-chan. He feels cold and empty, almost like putting your hand up against a pane of glass, or a mirror. His hand was warm but there was nothing behind it, nothing at all. I even-"

    She shakes her head. How does she explain what they do when they're offering each other strength like that? Is it even magic, or is it something more primal and natural than that? "I even tried to help him in my own way, but he didn't even notice. If he would have gotten upset or angry I might understand, but it's like Mamoru-kun was completely blocked off from me- Endymion, too."

    When Homura mentions having to fight him in order to save him Madoka does not get upset at the insinuation. When she mentions refusing to give up Madoka smiles, reaching down and taking hold of Homura's hand, her own quite warm from the hot chocolate. She does something a little different, interlacing her fingers with Homuras and pulling the hand up to her chest, by her heart. "I know you won't. You're the kind of person who will never give up on a true friend, and that's what makes you so wonderful, Homura-chan. I know in my heart that that's true. I can feel inside of me that everything you've said about us is true, and I see that no matter what happens you won't give up on him. You really are one of the best friends anyone could ask for. I hope you can let yourself see that part of you some day."

    She snuggles up against Homura when the arm goes around her, letting go of her hand so it can. She sighs softly and nods her head, not feeling at all cold despite the near freezing air and breeze. "It seems to happen all the time, but I think I'm starting to get used to it. Sad things, even horrible things don't have to be so terrible if you don't let them be. I cried a lot for you, Sayaka-chan, Kyouko-san, and Mami-san and... and all of you, after the other day. But as scary as that sounds, you still don't regret it and always have told me you'd make the same decision over again."

    She turns her head slightly, looking up ant trying to peek at Homura's eyes despite the difficulty of the angle, "So... I'll be okay. I have fun being around you too, Homura-chan, and I think that no matter what happens that will always be true. And that's the best silver lining of all."

    Homura watches Madoka from the side as the other girl wraps her black hair around her finger, pausing as she does so. Homura... enjoys it a bit more than she expresses. Having her hair played with is nice. Especially if it's Madoka doing it.

    The result is that the hair maintains a slight curly-cue shape. It slowly uncurls over time, but never fully. Homura sets her coffee down nearby in order to free her hand to play with Madoka's pigtail, flicking it up and down and making it bounce.

    She cuts it out when Madoka starts getting a bit more serious about Mamoru, hand dropping from Madoka's hair to her shoulder. She looks down for a moment as she hears Madoka's explaination. "I see... so that's how it is. I didn't even think to touch him, so I guess I never noticed." With a sheepish grin, she adds, "I guess I'm just not as touchy with him as I am with you."

    "Whatever magic has a hold on him, it's pretty strong. I think they put a tighter grip around him than they did to Kyouko. That might be blocking his usual powers."

    Madoka takes her hand, both warmed from hot drinks, and Homura blushes as Madoka places her hand on her chest. Her eyes soften. Her back starts to tremble as Madoka tells her that she's wonderful, and that she's one of the best friends anyone could ask for. Homura looks deeply into Madoka's eyes the whole time, finally saying, "You... you really think that about me? That's... I haven't had anyone say something that sweet about me in a long time. Thank you."

    She looks like she's almost about to cry.

    Homura stays looking into Madoka's eyes as Madoka says she cried over her and the other Puella Magi. "It's a dire fate, and not everyone can handle the truth of it. Honestly, I tried to explain things to people and at first they didn't believe me. Once they did, they reacted so badly that I wish they had never known... but I'm glad that you believe me."

    Homura wraps her other arm around Madoka, holding the other girl close and snuggling against her. "You're very important to me too, Madoka-chan, and I'll always cherish you, and the time I spend with you."

    Madoka enjoys her pigtail being played with, but perhaps not in quite the same manner as Homura does. Even so she giggles as it's teased and enjoys it rather openly. No, she really wasn't joking about a school club just for caring for messing about with other people's hair was she?

    As the curly cue shape holds and slowly unravels she giggles even more. She considers doing the same thing to the other lock, but instead settles for pinching the first one and drawing her fingers along it several times to straighten back out, "Your hair could go in a lot of different styles, Homura-chan."

    Madoka nods a little, "I didn't often, especially once I found out..." she trails off, but realizes she doesn't need to elaborate when Homura mentions Mamoru's 'usual powers'. "But... there were a few times he used it to calm me. One time was when I was just very worried and new to Infinity, and another was in that awful paint filled labyrinth from that witch at Mami-san's apartment. And then, a couple of times... I was able to help him in the same way. I tried to do it just now, too, but it's like his heart was completely closed to me. Like it was hidden away behind a wall of stone."

    Her own expression softens when Homura accepts her words fully, quickly setting down her half-full cup of hot chocolate without looking away. "I really do; you've done so much for me. Maybe it's hard for you to care about people because of all the things you've been through, but when you do care about them it's with all your heart, isn't it?" As always any implications beyond friendship are completely over her head even when the words come from her own lips, especially with someone she's so close to as a friend.

    She smiles sweetly to the other girl when she looks happy-sad. "You're my wonderful best friend, Homura-chan. I wish I could show you exactly how I feel and how much I care about you. For now the best I can do is this," she says while turning to return Homura's hug, squeezing herself close while closing her eyes. "I believe you," Madoka repeats after Homura says she's glad she does.

    Homura snuggles against her and tells her that she cherishes her and the time she spends with her. Madoka relaxes into her arms feeling happy and warm despite all the awful, sad things happening in her live. "Homura-chan..."

    She lets out a soft sigh. It comes out without thought, on it's own. "I love you, Homura-chan."

    She pauses for a moment. Is that right? Are those the right words? It doesn't take long to recognize that they are, "You really are my very best friend..."

    Homura's hair straightens out as Madoka plays with it. Homura playfully smiles as she does so. "I'd be willing to try a few different things. I mostly went with this hairstyle because it was low-maintenance, but I do have a lot of hair to work with."

    Homura listens. Homura remembers Mamoru sharing that power with Madoka in the paint Witch's labyrinth, so she's not at all surprised that Madoka knows about it. "Yeah... a couple of times he did the same for me, too. For me it was like... he was lending me his strength. One time he was also... expressing himself that way. It's like a form of communication that he has. It's a pretty cool power, really. To fully express what one is feeling like that."

    She frowns when Madoka mentions the wall of stone. "Yeah... the same thing might be blocking his memories, too. It's as if who he really is, his true self, is hidden away. You can see glimpses of him through the cracks, but he's also different."

    Homura considers. Does she really care with all her heart? Yeah, for Madoka, no doubt. For Mamoru, true. Others... well, that depends. "I do care. With all of my heart. Just like you said. It's hard not to give up on people, after everything I've seen, but I could never give up on you."

    The romantic implications may go over Madoka's head, but it's still a little too early for Homura to spell it out for her. No, that would be really selfish, especially to someone she cares so much for.

    Homura smiles as Madoka says she believes her. "I wish I could really express how I felt, too. I don't think I could put it into words, but I hope my actions at least make it more clear."

    Then Madoka says she loves her. Homura's face is bright red right now. Oh my god did she really just say that? Does she really mean that as just friendship? Homura isn't sure anymore, she doesn't want to push, and in her hesitation the words come out before she can catch them.

    "I love you too, Madoka-chan. I always have. I always will."

    Madoka then calls her a friend, and Homura can't help but chuckle a little nervously. Well, even as a friend... "And you're my very best friend, no matter what happens."

    Madoka really is a wonderful friend, and Homura wouldn't give that up for anything. Homura just also can't really deny the other feelings she has. She spends a moment considering whether or not it's really consideration for Madoka's feelings or cowardice that keeps her from saying it.

    "I think your hair is really nice like it is now, but it'd be fun to try things just for fun." She tilts her head in an odd way, but her eyes turning towards a forward hanging pigtail make it pretty obvious she's just looking at her hair in one of the only ways she can. It looks pretty silly though. "My hair is so much shorter that it's less versatile for styling, but I wouldn't mind if you wanted to style it too."

    Madoka smiles as Homura talks about Mamoru's contact empathy, glad her friend has been able to experience it as well, doubly so when she says how it's helped give her strength. "Mamoru-kun's power, it works both ways. You should try expressing yourself to him that way once he's better- it's wonderful to be able to communicate your emotions so well."

    "I could never give up on you either, Homura-chan," Madoka replies with a smile, "and even if you don't think you express yourself very well through words, you do make yourself very clear with the way you act." She follows up this comment by giving Homura a warm squeeze in their hug.

    Homura's blush causes a sympathetic reaction in Madoka, and soon she's blushing as well. Whoops, was that a stupid thing to say, even if she meant it? Homura's words reassure her. Her face lights up in a bright smile while her eyes sparkle happily, and her arms tighten around Homura. It's a slow change though, rather than a sudden giddy giggliness.

    "Homura-chan..." she says softly, perhaps distressingly slow, heartfelt tenderness seeping from her voice. To say that she's feeling very warm and fuzzy would be an understatement. And yet... for Madoka right now it really is a platonic feeling, even if newly realized and deep. "I'm so very glad that I met you."

    Would it be wrong or bad at this point in their relationship for Homura to admit her true feelings? Probably not, no. Especially after an admission like that one. It's the timing that's wrong, because while the iron is hot Madoka did just break up with her boyfriend, what was it, four days ago? It could seem very opportunistic to rush in right now.

    The lingering question is whether Homura cares about that at all, or if she thinks such an admission would endanger their friendship.

    Homura reaches up with one hand to play with Madoka's pigtails a little more. "We should! We should style eachother's hair sometime. Just for fun. If we come up with something nice then maybe we can show it off."

    Homura leans in, saying, "... and I would love to style your hair. Short hair has benefits too, after all." The purple-eyed girl takes a moment to consider different hairstyles for Madoka. Buns? Maybe she could put beads in it?

    Homura hmms as Madoka mentions Mamoru's power going both ways. "Huh. You know, I guess I kindof did that without meaning to. I mean, I never really buried my feelings from him or anything. I never hid it, but I don't remember if I ever started contact with the intention of sharing something." That's something she'll have to do later.

    Homura squeezes Madoka a little tighter in return. Homura thinks she could probably make herself a little more clear, but at least Madoka knows that she cares.

    Homura watches Madoka's reaction to her blush, and Homura knows darn well that she was blushing because she felt the heat all over her cheeks. Some of the tension leaves her as Madoka's mood improves.

    Then Madoka makes it worse with her heartfelt tenderness. Oh if only Madoka knew how she made Homura feel when she did things like that. This is such a tease!

    Yet, Homura endures it, because as overwhelming as it is, this truly is a wonderful feeling, brought on by a very wonderful person.

    However, yes, this is too soon after the breakup, and if Homura saw someone else rushing at Madoka this early she'd probably try to scare them off. She'd feel perfectly justified in doing so too, because anyone who moves in that quickly is probably aiming to exploit her feelings of loneliness long enough to get their foot in the door. Then from there, what? Would the plan be to continue to coast through the relationship via momentum and a feeling of obligation? A relationship born out of intentions like that couldn't go anywhere good.

    So that's why she wont do it. She doesn't want to be 'that girl'. Especially not to Madoka, but really: anyone Homura wanted to date would get at least that much consideration. It just so happens that the list of people whom Homura wants to date is just the word 'Madoka Kaname' written down endlessly.

    As for whether or not it'd threaten their friendship, well, maybe for anyone else Homura would have to worry, but somehow she thinks that Madoka would continue to be unfailingly kind, as she always is. Besides, Madoka did just say she wouldn't ever give Homura up, and Homura feels like she should put some faith in that.

    The returned teasing of her pigtails gets renewed giggling from Madoka, "Let's do that the next time we want to do something fun together," she suggests. "That sounds like it'd be a fun way to spend a day." After a moment she notes in a hinting tone while peeking away, "I finished my winter break homework the first week." With her romantic life gone there's a lot of out of school time suddenly freed up.

    Homura notices her blushing and eye to eye gaze gets a tiny bit timid, because there's still a somewhat shy girl buried inside Madoka. Those tendencies have mostly faded but with Homura they're starting to show a little again, because she feels safe enough with her to not need to hide any of her feelings. She giggles a little.

    Her eyes peek off towards the skyline and- yes, the sun has gone down. Madoka pretends not to notice, instead wanting to embrace this moment and draw it out, hugging Homura close even through their thick winter coats.

    Truth be told this is one of the best possible medicines for Madoka's broken heart- a friend she can trust so completely and enjoy herself around. That now that they're alone thoughts of boys and other sore subjects don't enter her mind. She might feel bad if she knew those same kinds of feelings, only on the opposite end, were harbored inside Homura. She wouldn't want to 'tease' those kinds of heartfelt emotions, and would most likely withdraw a little if she knew some of the heartstrings she was pulling were more yearnings than purely warm and fuzzy.

    "Winter break homework?" asks Homura. "Oh, right. That." She's had to deal with homework over her break recently, but only very recently. "Yeah it didn't take me very long. Honestly I've taken the same classes so many times they're more like a formality at this point." Her tone conveys a certain level of tiredness over this.

    "Actually depending on how Walpurgisnacht goes I might take a college class on the side, but... I don't know. As much fun as it would be to actually learn something new once in a while, I do have other things I'd rather do with my time."

    Homura hugs Madoka a little more tightly, leaning against her. "Like cuddle my best friend!" Then, after a pause, as if it's an after thought, "... well, and witch hunting. I need to do that, too."

    The black-haired Puella's eyes are closed, so she doesn't notice that the sun has set. She does notice the cold, and while she could easily shut that out, she also knows that Madoka couldn't.

    Without letting go of Madoka, she reaches into her shield and pulls out a blanket, and the soft blanket brushes against Madoka's back as Homura pulls it. Then Homura releases Madoka long enough to toss it around their shoulders before leaning back in for continued hugging.

    Even if her feelings aren't known, just being able to tell Madoka that she loves her means a lot. To some extent Homura doesn't really care how that love is expressed so long as she's allowed to express it. Then again that's part of why she doesn't say anything.

    Being teased isn't so bad. What's the worst that could happen? Homura breaks down and nosebleeds in front of Madoka?

    Madoka's giggling lengthens into a happy laugh and she agrees, "Yes, exactly!" when Homura says cuddling is something she wants to do with her time. And then, right, witch hunting. "...I don't want to keep you from doing that, Homura-chan." It's a bit of a subdued voice, especially when compared to the cheery one that preceded it. "I love spending time with you(Hee! She can say that now!), but I wouldn't be able to bear it if spending time with me meant you didn't do enough of what you need to survive."

    She tightens her arms around Homura and pulls her close, "Maybe I can come with you on witch hunts too, like I do with Mami-san; I'd understand if you rather I stay outside the labyrinths while you fight. Even with your friends around I know you might get too worried about my safety." Which is something she's not willing to risk, as much for Homura's sake as her own.

    Then the blanket is pulled out and Madoka can't help but find herself giggling as it's retrieved from the unending shield space. She almost wants to ask Homura to hold it under a faucet and see how much water they can pour in there. ...after taking everything else out, of course.

    Once it's moved around her shoulders and Homura is close to her again she snuggles close and leans in to nuzzle the side of her head, and one pigtail, against Homura's. Then, carefully, she tries to sit down because that's a much cuddlier position when there's a blanket. And, okay, she just wants to.

    "This is really nice." She ponders for a moment, "It's maybe even a little better with it being so chilly out, because it's easier to tell just how warm and cuddly Homura-chan is!" Madoka giggles again and scoots enough closer that it's effectively all the way, leaning heavily against her side and wrapping both arms around her.

    Homura's smirk is kindof a confused one, but she laughs it off. "Oh, Madoka-chan, I wouldn't let myself go like that. That's not a thing you have to worry about. Besides, I wouldn't want to do anything that'd force me to leave you."

    Homura considers how she just said that. Well, if Madoka didn't catch on after the literal love confession then Homura probably doesn't need to worry that much.

    On the mention of Madoka coming along with her on Witch Hunts, Homura considers. "I don't know. If something actually happened to me I'm not sure I'd want to give you a front row seat to that." Unlike some people who wont be mentioned Mami Tomoe. "On the other hand I'd be able to protect you as long as you stayed out of the fight. Even just having one Puella Magi makes it a lot safer to be in a Labyrinth. I suppose it wouldn't bother me, if you wanted to spend time that way."

    Homura nuzzles her nose against Madoka's hair. "I'm not gonna lie though. If you go into those with me, I can't promise it'll ever be pretty. Though honestly you've already seen me in Labyrinths, so it probably isn't anything new."

    Homura considers that, in terms of what she already knows about Witches, and how Madoka might feel if she ever figured out exactly what Homura was doing: Hunting fallen Puella Magi. She frowns at the thought of it. How many times is she going to make Madoka cry over her?

    Madoka tries to sit down, and Homura follows suit, readjusting the blanket so that its folded under them and they're kindof sitting on it. Homura then leans into Madoka, wrapping both arms around her. She closes her eyes. She could probably fall asleep here, like this, though it'd be a bad idea.

    As for the water, well... that would be an interesting experiment. Homura would have to wonder if there's a limit to her shield at all, though.

    Madoka knows how Puella Magi function in general, but not about the specific logistics of how long they can go without a grief seed if they don't use magic, or any other metric like that. Having found out just how dangerous even getting seriously upset can be she does worry a little about Homura, even if she's very skilled and experienced at her 'job'.

    "Good. I don't know what I'd do if you did," she responds in a soft sigh, snuggling onto Homura further. Then she actually winces at the thought of something terrible happing to her friend in front of her. She clings a little bit tighter. "I know there isn't anything I can do to help fight witches. At best I could help any people that accidentally got stuck in the labyrinth, but even familiars are very dangerous to someone like me. Still... well, I'm not sure I could stop myself from helping them, even so." She lets out a soft sigh. At least she's being honest, right?

    "I know it's ugly, and scary... but it's also what you do. I think I'd rather see it for myself than just worry about what might be on the other side." She leans against Homura again, smiling as her hair is nuzzled. For a few moments she just lets everything else slip out of her mind as Homura's arms go around her. She lets out a happy sigh, her arms hugging Homura around the waist.

    "I wish I could share this feeling with everyone," she says softly. "Having a best friend who I care for, and who cares for me. Knowing I have nothing to worry about when I'm with you. Even the things that hurt are gone. If everyone could feel like this, I think the world would be so much better."

    Homura has some idea of what the limits are, but she doesn't want to push them. As Madoka says she wouldn't know what would happen to her if Homura had to leave her... Homura is suddenly quiet. She knows exactly what would happen, if something happened to Homura and Madoka knew about it. Madoka has already sacrificed her life for Homura before in multiple timelines. She can't afford to allow that.

    "There isn't much you could do to fight, no. Even if I gave you a weapon, if you didn't have the magic to empower it, it wouldn't be very reliable. Besides, I think even my smallest gun could knock you on your butt." It might be an amusing image, but Homura states it very plainly and matter-of-factly.

    Homura rests against Madoka, enjoying her warmth under their shared blanket. "If you could keep people like that out of trouble, it would help, but... honestly? Stuff like that shouldn't even happen except to people who have magical potential. It was weird when it happened back then." Homura blinks her eyes open for a moment before she mentions, "Kyubey even asked me if I knew what it was about."

    Homura looks up at the night sky, and the stars shining above. It got dark a while ago, didn't it? Well, the two of them have out here for a while. It's no surprise. "Still, you've been in several Labyrinths and come out okay."

    When Madoka talks about sharing this feeling with everyone... Homura considers her response. "I think a lot of people feel something like this, in their own way. Maybe not everyone, but a lot of people do. Problems come in when people want to interfere with it, when they should know that they shouldn't."

    "You might be right..." is all Madoka has to say about the gun. She's not exactly scared of the weapons themselves since she's seen Homura using them so often, but when considering her own ability to handle them? She's even smaller than Homura and those things seem to have significant kick, even for someone whose used them for over a decade. "I think I'd probably just embarrass myself if you did give me one." She doesn't even realize just how hard it is for a complete amateur to aim a handgun without magic to guide them.

    She looks over to Homura when she mentions the people in the labyrinths being an oddity, "Really? Then... actually that makes me glad. Some of the things that happened were terrible. I wouldn't be upset if that never happened again." Madoka relaxes a bit upon hearing that news. Hm, Kyubey. She hasn't seen him since he helped her track down Kyouko.

    "Do you think so? I hope they do. It's a wonderful feeling." She actually doesn't know what Homura means when it comes to 'interfering', so she gives a curious look. Otherwise she won't press too much, because she wants to enjoy this moment.

    "The stars are very pretty tonight," she notices. Along with the fact that her breath is starting to make puffs of white in the air. She pretends she doesn't notice and squirms comfortably against Homura under the blanket, closing her eyes and resting her head against her shoulder one more time. She takes in a slightly deeper breath only to let it out in a happy, content sigh. "Homura-chan..."

    There's no intent behind saying her friends name except quietly expressing her happiness.

    "I don't think you'd be any embarassment," says Homura, incapable of really looking down on Madoka like that, "but I do think it'd be irresponsible of me to put you in a situation like that." She shrugs, her shoulders probably rubbing against Madoka, "It's not just you. If it weren't for my magic I couldn't use them, either."

    Homura readjusts her cuddle, resting against her as Madoka looks at her. "Yeah like... usually people who get lured by Witches don't go inside the Labyrinth, and usually they'll be safe enough if the Witch is just taken out in a timely manner. Many Witches stop focusing on their victims entirely if a Puella Magi is fighting them. I wouldn't mind if that never happened again, either."

    Homura continues to study the stary night sky above, smiling at Madoka's comment. "They are. It's a nice night tonight." When she notices Madoka's visible breath, Homura tests her own breath by breathing out and watching it become visible. Madoka calls out her name, and Homura just... wonders how long they could go before this becomes romantic whether Homura makes a move or not.

    Well, it's not like she'd mind.

    Homura pauses for a long moment while she considers. It is getting cold, and even if the two of them don't want the moment to end, Homura also doesn't think it'd be wise to get sick just a few days before school starts.

    "I really do love you, Madoka-chan." She glances towards the door they walked in. "... but we should probably go inside and warm up."

    ... as tempting as it is to keep cuddling here.

    Maybe Homura wouldn't find it completely embarrassing for her if she got knocked on her butt firing a gun, but Madoka sure would. She listens the way witches normally act towards their victims, smiling a little as her conclusion is agreed with at least.

    Homura notices what Madoka was trying to ignore, and it looks like lovely time they've having out in the cold is going to have to come to an end. It's not like Madoka blames her though, as cozy as it is under the blanket her face is still getting chilled.

    When Homura suggests they go inside Madoka sighs again, wordlessly this time and with a tiny bit of a whine to it. Then she grumbles good naturedly, unwrapping one arm from around Homura so she can reach down and take one of her hands, squeezing it happily. She gives a very sweet look into her eyes, and then much to her chagrin scoots her feet in beneath herself and stands up.

    The hand holding actually has a purpose beyond just being enjoyable this time, as she pulls upward after standing herself to help Homura to her feet. Does she need it? Of course not, especially not in henshin. It's more about the thought behind it than the action itself. "And I love you, Homura-chan. That's why I'll forgive you this time."

    She says that last part with a straight face, only to giggle playfully, leaning briefly against her friend before walking towards the door.