“Human Resources” Shouldn’t Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest

Chapter 65 - Creeping Ever Closer

"Excuse me a moment," you say as you head to the door, "I should see who it is."

You open the door to see Madoka standing nervously outside the apartment, Kyubey resting on her shoulder. Homura stands behind her, glaring at the Incubator with an intensity that could melt iron.

"Hello, X! Are we-" Madoka's eyes drift to your arm for a moment. "Oh! I'm glad that you're doing alright. I know you said you'd be fine, but I was very worried."

"Yeah, I did say it'd grow back. You two sleep okay?"

"There were no issues." answers Homura, turning her gaze away from Kyubey to address you.

"What's this about you being okay?" Mami chimes in from the hall behind you. Before you can answer, she sees the guests standing at the door. "Oh! Madoka, Homura, Kyubey, good morning! Please, come in. X, Yuma, and I have prepared some cakes."

"Thank you very much!" Madoka says as she proceeds into the apartment. Homura stares at Yuma for a moment before following behind her classmate. Internally, you sigh in relief. It's not that you don't plan on explaining last night's events to Mami, but you'd rather wait until everybody's here first. That goes for most of the topics you're hoping to explain today, actually. That said, it would be better to at least introduce a few ideas individually. To break up the shock of things.

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You sit at the head of the large glass table that Mami's rolled out into the living room to replace her usual smaller one. Your older child is seated beside you, pouring out tea for your new guests. Madoka and Homura are seated opposite you, looking down at the array of confections laid out before them. Gratitude overwhelms Madoka's slight air of nervousness, while Homura beside her has gone a shade paler than usual. The time-traveler stares forward, her expression cold and immovable as always but notably unfocused. Yuma is sprawled out over the couch to the side, already finishing the small cake slice you let her have.

"So, ah, you said you had important things to discuss? Is it about that monster from before?" Madoka asks. You pause to take a small sip of tea before you answer.

"Yes. At first I didn't expect Abnormalities to be a common threat, so I wanted to keep them a secret. Information can be dangerous, after all, and there's some things that are better left secret." You sigh. It would've been better for all your kids if they had stayed uninvolved, not just with you but with this whole business. Unfortunately, that's not an option anymore. "But now that they're showing up so often, it's better for you to be informed."

"I'll give a more detailed explanation once Sayaka and Kyoko get here, but for now I'll just go over the basics. Abnormalities are monsters unlike Witches, derived from a specific idea or concept instead of human grief. Even the weakest of them have unique traits that make them practically impossible to fight without prior knowledge. I already know the details for how to confront most of them, so don't rush in if you spot one no matter how urgent it is. Get in contact with everyone and wait to get more information. That's the only safe way to deal with Abnormalities."

"That creature from last night was able to take control of my body. Is that sort of power common for Abnormalities?" Homura asks, having shaken off whatever had come over her when stepping into Mami's apartment. Mami turns towards you, confused.

"X? Did something happen last night?"

It feels… wrong, hearing the worry in Mami's voice. You weren't the one hurt, there's no reason for her to be concerned. Before you can respond, Homura speaks again.

"While hunting, I found that Madoka had been entranced by a strange creature. I assumed it was a Witch and went to kill it, but fell under its control as well. Before I was completely taken, I sent a call for help to X. She arrived, and together we were able to defeat the creature."

"Oh." Mami seems shaken, lost in thought as to the disaster that went on while she slept unaware. But the moment passes and she regains her composure. "In that case, you have my thanks. Although if you had contacted me, I would have come as well."

Homura blinks, caught off guard. Silence settles over the table as the two Magical Girls stare at one another, unsure of what to say.

"Your assistance will be appreciated in the future." Though the words are detached as usual, you don't need your emotion sense to hear the tremor of sadness and gratitude in Homura's voice. Right, she and Mami are usually enemies, or at least opposed on principle. To be somebody she would lend aid to without a second thought… well, this is Mami, so perhaps not a very high bar to clear. Regardless, it still clearly means something to your fellow time-traveler.

"The point being," you say, ending the quiet moment once it has run its course, "Abnormalities are dangerous. Fighting them conventionally, without knowing how they work, should be a last resort." You pause, giving the kids time to digest your warning. For what you're about to tell them, they need as much context as possible.

"There is maybe one exception, although I'll go further into it once everybody's here."

"A-actually, I have a question." Madoka speaks up. "It's not related to Abnormalities, but I was wondering," she turns to Mami, "does X live here? I thought you only met the same day we did?"

It's not Mami, but Yuma who answers. "Mom adopted Yuma and big sis a few days ago! Kyubey said we could do it, and everyone thought it was a good idea, so now we're all family!"

Nobody speaks in the aftermath of Yuma's declaration. What is there that you can really say after that?

"Oh," Madoka lets out a small gasp, as if finally realizing something. "Then that means that you… I'm really sorry, that was inconsiderate of me to ask."

"No, it's perfectly alright." Mami assures the apologetic girl. "I was… I was able to care for myself. And I had Kyubey to look out for me. Even so, it's very nice to have somebody you know cares about you."

You almost miss the way Homura's grip on her teacup tightens. An emotion you can't quite place flares within her, but is smothered back into quiescence just as quickly as it appears.

"Speaking of, I don't know much about your family, Madoka. Would you mind telling me a bit about them?" you interject. Best keep the conversation light until everyone else gets here. You quiz the girls on their schoolwork, their music preferences, what jobs they might want when they grow up. Anything that isn't likely to trigger distress in one of your kids. They deserve some brevity before the heavier conversation. It's halfway through a discussion about which teachers are the best when Kyubey suddenly shoots awake.

"Yes, I had her two years ago. She-" Mami trails off when she sees Kyubey's sudden alertness. "Is something wrong?"

"The Abnormality previously identified by X as a significant threat has recently been spotted moving towards Kamihama City. I will be allocating all my available resources towards tracking it."

With the announcement made, Kyubey jumps over the couch and disappears on the other side. Those remaining in the room stare at one another, perplexed. The sole exception to this is Yuma, who sneakily took a second slice of cake when she thought you weren't looking.

Nothing There was spotted again. At least it's away from you and the kids right now, but it's a reminder that you'll need to do something about the monstrous imitator eventually. Planning how to topple an ALEPH, especially one with such straightforward strengths, will be an incredible challenge. Perhaps not one you are capable of. Still, you'll have time to contemplate this later. You can hear the sounds of an argument growing louder outside.

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Everyone will be here soon. What are you going to tell them?

[] Planned topic:
-[] Abnormalities
-[] You are an Abnormality
-[] Truth about Witches
-[] Truth about Soul Gems
-[] Your EGO Gifts
-[] Write-in.

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Big Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Punishing Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 1/2

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