Madoka didn't go to school the Monday after her attempt to connect with a Witch revealed it to be one that grew out of a familiar, wanting the time to rest and recover but also needing time to think. While Tuesday and today, Wednesday, saw her back at class she didn't go to any of her club activities, and also rescheduled a shift volunteering at Mitakihara General. This naturally brought on worry from all corners but to each she claimed simple fatigue and recovering from the illness she, sort of, faked to avoid school on Monday.
Homura of course knew the real cause, and Madoka did her best to try and tell her not to worry too much, though the pink-haired girl figured she could only do so much on that front. So far as she could tell Homura always worried about her and giving her reason to worry extra would probably only increase that no matter how much reassurance she was given.
Not that Madoka minded if Homura came over and visited; it wasn't company so much as activity she was trying to avoid. Especially not that specific company. It was evening now, the sun low in the sky, and when Homura called and checked up on her she had actually asked her girlfriend to come over and visit. Though it isn't like she needs a reason she actually has one, keeping that part to herself. She's sitting on her bed now, having just finished a bowl of soup her father made that was brought up earlier by her mother.
She's wearing a pale pink light cotton nightgown and her hair is down just to keep things a little easier; she's been napping on and off ever since she got home from school. Her window is open both to let in the cool evening air and just in case Homura decides to come in that way, though she's also listening out for footsteps on the staircase and out in the hall.
For Homura, worrying is just a thing that she does. Some might even call her a professional paranoid. She is concerned with the business of survival, ensuring not only her own but also the survival of her loved ones. Even when she allows herself some small distraction, there's some part of her mind checking to make sure it's okay to lower her guard 'just this once'.
In a way, the emotional support and expressions of love are a real part of the struggle, and not so much a distraction from it. Not that Homura's complaining about having a legitimate reason to cuddle.
Still, however, Homura does take notice. Madoka was having nightmares long after Homura was restored. Would she have more nightmares, now that she's seen... perhaps not pure evil, but a deep darkness without even a single mote of light? Homura wishes that she could say that such a thing was hard for her to imagine, but that's not the case. Still, Homura's own pain only makes it easier to understand Madoka's.
The window is open, and while there is a temptation to greet Madoka's family properly and make nice with them, Homura's concerned about Madoka, and when she's concerned about Madoka she has a way of being very efficient. Efficiency in this case is a nice way of saying that she ignores polite social conventions in order to jump to Madoka's window.
Homura sets one foot on the windowsill, looking down at Madoka from her perch. She flashes a smile before another jump has her landing on the bed, and she kicks off her shoes. It probably isn't the kind of physical feat she should be attempting in a pale violet summer dress like the one she's wearing, but Homura really couldn't care less. Maybe she's spoiled now and thinks that the dress, if damaged, is easily replaced, or maybe she's just confident in her ability to make the jump.
"Hi, Madoka-chan. Your prince is here to sweep you off your feet~."
It would have been nice to get away without nightmares, but what she saw was just the sort of thing to really gnaw at her; a soul utterly without redeeming qualities, except perhaps that when contained inside a Grief Seed it could be used to extend the life of a Puella Magi. Worse still for easy sleep were the mental images fed to her during their connection; as typical as they are for someone peering into the mind of a Witch they're not easy for the subconscious mind to ignore.
Still, the -intensity- of the nightmares were nothing compared to those that she had experienced after she reclaimed Homura's soul, and had tried to ease those specific fears. She had at least taken on no despair from the Witch; it had been to busy trying to curse and destroy her for her to even make a proper offer of it.
The first sign of Homura's arrival is the sound of her landing on the windowsill, and Madoka's head turns while her lips curl up into a small smile. She seems to have a better color than she did earlier at school, and the smile seems genuine. As her girlfriend hopes down to her bed and greets her she giggles, "Hello, Homura-chan. You look beautiful in that dress." For a brief moment her hand lifts up and absently brushes at her hair as she wonders if she should have changed into something nicer herself.
She lets such worries go and instead raises up, half standing to lean in and hug onto Homura from the side, "It's really good to see you again." Another giggle and she adds, "My prince can sweep her little angel off her feet any time she likes."
Homura sits on the edge of the bed, and as Madoka leans against her she wraps one arm around her "Why thank you, Madoka-chan. I like it when my little angel admires me and tells me I'm beautiful." That may be a bit vain, but if Madoka appreciates Homura's attractiveness then that's all the reassurance she needs.
She nuzzles against Madoka's shoulder. "You're so soft and cuddly in that nightgown~." Apparently Homura thinks that what Madoka's actually wearing is nice enough. It's not as if she expects Madoka to dress up while staying home sick.
Homura closes her eyes, holding Madoka close. Her other arm scoops underneath Madoka's legs as Homura tries to move Madoka onto her lap. The dark-haired girl smiles, closes her eyes, and holds her very best friend and girlfriend close. "It's good to see you too, Madoka-chan. I'm always here for you whenever you need me, my love."
After a moment's embrace, Homura lets out a happy sigh before looking up at Madoka. "So... what's up? You said you wanted me to come over? Was there something you'd like to do?"
Or to continue the prince analogy, Homura says with a slightly mischievous smirk, "... or is some big dragon being mean to you? Do I need to slay it for you?"
Some might consider it vain to accept a compliment like that, but it might be even more vain to blow it off as nothing exceptional. Then again when has Homura ever blown off compliments from Madoka? Maybe about her abilities as a magical girl when she was still set on making sure she never became one herself? Other than that, probably never.
"You're welcome, Homura-chan. I'm happy my opinion on how pretty you are means a lot to you." There's a distinctive playfulness in her voice, and she blushes a little when her nightgown is complimented; especially the manner of the compliment. Soft and cuddly? Hehe... Homura knows how to compliment her well. "Aww, thank you. I was worried a little when I saw how pretty your dress was, but I'm happy to be soft and cuddly for you." She keeps her arms around Homura, tilting her head to rest her cheek against the slightly taller girl's head, only to let out a surprised and playful eek as she's drawn into her lap.
She leans in against Homura, shifting her hold on the other girl to be light and around the neck, one hand playing over her girlfriends long dark hair for a moment. "Good, because I do need you." It isn't said in a way that implies immediate concern, but rather a longer term requirement. She looks down at Homura with her soft pink eyes as they open up, "Something I'd like to do? Well now that you mention it..."
Madoka leans in and presses a kiss to Homura's lips, brushing her hair with her fingers again for a moment before teasing her neck a little, letting this kiss linger a little longer. When she pulls away she gives a little shake of her head, "No dragons today. Actually, I wanted to reward you!"
One arm slung about Homura's neck she leans back in her lap, hand fishing about in the air for a moment before opening a drawer on her nightstand. She pulls a small rectangular box out of it before shutting it again, pulling herself back up into a more normal 'sitting in her girlfriends lap' position and offering it to Homura. "I was going to give this to you... um, actually I'm not sure. Some kind of special occasion, but I decided now might be better." A bit nervously she adds, "I hope you like it."
It's a four inch by four inch by one inch plastic square with a picture on the front; Homura might even recognize and patterns in the Infinity University Crafts Club's printer by this point. In the background is obviously a cell phone snapped picture of the docked Tenshi Maru, and interposed in front of it is a picture of Madoka in a blue and white sailor suit and a white sailor's cap. In easy to read letters are the top is 'Tenshi Maru Heavy Lift and Salvage Ship Technical Specifications and Operations Manual' at the bottom reads 'Narrated by Madoka Kaname'.
If the box is opened two things will be found inside; the first is a DVD that is very obviously the actual technical manual for the ship in it's jewel case, but sitting on top is a small thumbdrive.
Homura giggles. "Well I'm happy that you're happy!" Which is true, regardless of the reason.. "... and you don't have to worry. You're always sweet and cuddly with me. When I saw you, I was wondering if I should've brought pajamas instead." As amusing as it would be to see Homura skipping around town in PJs. Granted, she could have brought them in her shield.
Homura coos softly as she hears that she's needed, especially considering who it is she's needed by. It's not as if she doubted it, but it's nice to have it reconfirmed, just to know that Madoka still feels that way.
She raises an eyebrow as Madoka says that there is something she wants to do. She smiles and closes her eyes as she's kissed, tilting her head back slightly to more easily reach Madoka's lips. Homura's lips part slightly, sucking on Madoka's lower lip, and giving her a wink as Madoka pulls away.
"A reward? For me? As if your smile isn't reward enough." There's a slight tease to Homura's voice, though in all actuality she is eager to get something from Madoka, if only because it's something that her little angel gave her. There's a lot to be said for sentimental value alone, and Homura's girlfriend has given her plenty to be sentimental about.
As Madoka leans over to reach for her drawer, Homura tilts sideways along with her, supporting her but also making a pose as if she were dipping Madoka, only to sit up again as Madoka does. Homura looks down at the small box curiously, opening it up and looking at the cover.
Madoka in a sailor uniform, nice. Tenchi Maru Technical Manual, okay, well that's a bit odd- OH! Narrated by Madoka?! Homura blushes, imagining being in her office and listening to Madoka's voice tell her the technical details of the ship... it's a nice way to review the technical details if and when Homura has to, but in addition to that...
"The whole thing? You... you went through the whole book, and read it all aloud?" Even if Madoka didn't understand every single detail, the fact that she's read so much on it would mean that she has at least some significant knowledge of how the ship runs.
Homura clears her throat looking down on the gift. "Thank you, Madoka-chan. I'll certainly pay more attention if I'm hearing it in your voice~."
Madoka giggles happily when told she's always sweet and cuddly with Homura. Always being cuddly, that's a big compliment! "You could have," she replies with a smile, "but you couldn't go wrong with that dress, either." The coo puts a sweeter edge on her smile, and she hugs close to Homura for a moment.
When Homura parts her lips and sucks on her lip Madoka is juuust a little reluctant to stop kissing. Homura almost has to wait a few extra minutes to receive her gift! When she does pull away it's with a distinct blush on her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. The tease in Homrua's voice makes it hard to not kiss her again... but Madoka really wants to give her girlfriend the gift!
She giggles as Homura moves with her as she leans, adding a, "Thank you~," in a sweet voice because it actually does help, and then watches intently as Homura looks at it. When the dark haired girl suddenly blushes her own face lights up with a brilliant smile.
Her head nods up and down, "Yes! I read the whole thing in the best narrator voice I could," a short pause, "Though you should look at the actual manual too for the graphs and diagrams." Her eyes look away from Homura for a few moments, shifting to the left, and then up, and to her right as she speaks, "Weeeell, to be honest I actually didn't understand a whole lot about what it was saying. The Tenshi Maru is a really amazing ship, though! There isn't another quite like it anywhere else in the world. I guess it's actually kind of famous?" Considering how Homura acquired it might have been a famous boondoggle before it found a new owner.
Madoka smiles gently and looks back to Homura's eyes. "I remembered back to when we were preparing for Walpurgisnacht, and we talked about you maybe learning a bit more about the ships you used, that you might be able to use them a bit more efficiently, or better, if you know how they really worked. The Tenshi Maru- you're going to have it forever," Madoka assumes, "so I thought it'd be good if you knew all about it." A quiet giggle, "That's when I came up with the idea of reading the manual to you, but then realized I could make it so you could hear me reading it to you even if I wasn't around if I made it into a book-on-tape."
She hugs Homura closely as she's thanked for the gift, "You're welcome, Homura-chan! I really hope you like it." She shifts around on Homura's lap, a bit squirmy. "And, um, if you really wanted to thank me for it." Her eyes peek down to Homura's lips, and she nibbles on her own bottom lip that was sucked on while a warm blush sets in on her cheeks.
Homura can't go wrong in this dress? Well, that does bring a grin to Homura's lips. She gives Madoka a gentle squeeze as Madoka holds her close, swaying back and forth during the enjoyable moment.
Homura certainly doesn't mind more kissing from Madoka, even if it does delay presents, but Homura is also more than happy to help Madoka reach a but further. Especially if she gets to hold her the whole time! She giggles as she's thanked, saying, "My pleasure."
The best narrator voice that Madoka could read it in. Homura can hardly wait to hear what that's like, though she nods as Madoka points out that the graphs and diagrams are important, too. "Yeah, sure, I mean... probably would be best to have the manual open while I'm listening. I guess there are a lot of things that are hard to put into words."
Homura listens as Madoka says she didn't understand most of it. Well, that's fine. "I suppose there are a lot of concepts you'd have to know before you could really get what's in the book. It's probably written for people who already know a thing or two about how ships work. Still... these things tend to be boring to read, but hearing it in your voice makes it easier to remember."
Homura starts getting into more of an 'explanatory' voice, though her arms are still around Madoka and she's still holding her. "That's actually a thing in psychology. I believe it's called survival encoding. When you hear something stated by someone you're attracted to, you're more likely to remember it. That's why it's easier to remember a cute girl's number or something like that. Your mind actually treats it as if it has vital importance, using the same mechanism the one used during a traumatizing or endangering event, though obviously a bit more pleasant."
Homura blinks as the Tenshi Maru is called 'famous'. A famous salvage vessel? Really? She knew that she was paying top dollar for quality goods, but 'famous'? "I... actually didn't know that. I mean... I thought it was just a regular ship." She laughs. "Though it actually has quite a storied history already! Walpurgisnacht messed up the previous owners so that they could no longer afford it, and it was about to be scrapped itself before a mysterious young girl showed up and offered to supply the rest of the funding. I tell you, the shipyard's supervisor almost didn't believe I had the money for it until my first check cleared."
Homura nods, thinking back to that conversation. It made sense, if Homura was going to use them in combat then she should understand them a bit better. As it was, they were little more than mobile weapons platforms. At the comment of having the Tenshi Maru forever, Homura nods. "Even if it sinks, I can raise it again. Not even death will separate me from..." Homura reaches up to scratch Madoka behind the ear, "... My. Little. Angel."
Homura smiles up at Madoka, leaning forward. "I love it. It's... well, it's very practical, and even the practicality has a romantic tinge to it, even if it's not obvious." It's a new kind of gift, sure, like getting a nice new tie or something... but it's also what they were saying the other day, about being a part of each other's lives, and that in of itself makes it very sweet.
Potential thanks is discussed, and Homura looks up at Madoka with a grin. "Why... I'd love to." She leans up just a little bit more, brushing her lips against Madoka as she gently holds her, arms wrapped around Madoka's side.
Madoka nods at the mention of concepts she'd need to learn before really knowing the meanings behind all the stuff she read, "Yeah. Things like knowing it can carry a lot, but the actual numbers not really meaning anything to me. Oil rigs are really, really big and heavy, right?" Of course she's seen and been on the Tenshi Maru, but she hasn't actually seen it carrying large amounts of cargo.
She giggles playfully when Homura tells her it'll be easier to remember, only to blink and tilt her head curiously when there's actual science to back it up. Her eyes widen a little, "I had no idea!" Her head shakes softly, "I thought it'd be something that'd make it easier for you to get through the whole thing, and that it'd make it more enjoyable but I didn't know it'd make it easier to remember too." Another giggle, "Now I'm extra glad I read it for you!"
Madoka then nods again to the mention of the ship being famous, "Right! People thought it was going to get taken apart instead of finished, but now that it was it's one of the biggest ships of it's kind." And really the only ship of it's specific type, the mix of semi-submersible heavy lift capacity and salvage equipment." Another nod at the mention of Homura raising the ship if anything bad ever happened to it, giggling at the pet name and leaning her head into the fingers.
Madoka's smile is once again radiantly bright when Homura states plainly that she loves the gift. She's not wrong about it being practical and romantic at the same time, either, and the smile takes on a softer, special look as that's mentioned. "I really enjoy doing romantic things for you, Homura-chan. I tell you I love you all the time but I like showing you how much I love you, too. The Tenshi Maru is important to both of us... but I also think it's extra special for you. It's your magic that makes it useful. You have a lot of tools that you use, and I know how sentimental you can be about them, like your golf club. So I wanted you to be able to use this special 'tool' as best as you possibly could." It'll also probably let her control it with magic marginally more efficiently once she really knows it well, though that isn't the most romantic thing to point out.
And she is in a romantic mood.
Homura grins up at her and teases her with a brush of her lips, and Madoka shivers slightly and lets out a happy, "Mm," hugging back onto her and returning the kiss. After a moment or two she can't quite help herself and parts her lips, nibbling on Homura's upper lip between them and losing herself in the moment.
Homura sweatdrops and nods her head at the meaninglessness of actual numbers. "Yeeeah, I mean. Destroyers are roughly 150 meters long, and the Tenshi Maru can hold one of those comfortably.. Aircraft Carriers are about twice that, buuut realistically the ships we salvage are often not in one piece anyways. I think one of those might require multiple trips. I actually have no idea how big an oil platform would be compared to the Tenshi."
Yeah, psychology was something that Homura briefly studied when middle-school level algebra became mind-numbingly boring to her. Briefly, in any case. "Well, it does make it more enjoyable. A captain should know her ship, and I've been trying to make good on that. This will help a lot. Thank you, Madoka-chan."
Homura looks up at the ceiling, absentmindedly stroking Madoka's back as she considers. "Geeze... if it's one of the biggest, or even the biggest..." She tries to process that in her mind. It's a bit strange, to have the biggest salvage ship in the world and not even strictly need it. Well, in all actuality, it's a lot cheaper magic wise than trying to drive the boats back with her powers, and it practically pays for itself. "... I wonder if that just makes Salamander that much more valuable. We can do jobs that no one else can. I wonder if there's a market there. If nothing else, it gives us an edge on the competition."
Homura nuzzles against Madoka's neck. "You do show me that you love me, all the time, and it really means a lot to me, that I get to be loved by you and held by you." She nods emphatically as Madoka says that the Tenshi Maru is important to both of them, and especially to Homura. "It's the first big thing I really bought with money I gained on my own. Even the house I live in was paid for... partially by my WPS paycheck and partially with money from my parents. It's probably the most expensive single thing I've ever owned. Plus... I did name it after my favorite person, so there's that, too."
The kissing starts, and Homura is all too happy to continue it, even encourage it. Being here for Madoka, and being close to her like this, is something she's wanted for so long that even four months in it still feels new to her. She brushes her lips against Madoka, giggling softly as her lip is nibbled, tilting her head to the side to kiss Madoka more deeply.