Renascence: A Homura Quest

[X] Plans:
-[X] Mission: Collect Ice Cream.
-[X] Task: Study Intro to Medicine book.
-[X] Intent: Talk with Sayaka about.. everything. But not in the morning.

Your eyes snap open as sunlight trickles in through the closed shades. You've had a good night's rest...but you do have a few very important things to do. First one...you almost laugh at yourself. You do, really...but only ever so quietly. You don't want to wake anyone.

Ice cream. What a ridiculous thing...oh, you'd never again doubt its efficacy in calming and manipulatingpersuading your friends, but for you? Well...you can't deny there's something comforting about it. You suppose...you've eaten it with them a lot. For your own reasons, sometimes, but sometimes because one of them took the initiative. Kyouko might drag you out in a fit of gluttony, Mami might home make it and (unknowingly) guilt trip you into joining her for some, Madoka might drag you along with a laugh...and, now, Sayaka seems to force it upon you when you're stressed.

You feel a smile creep on to your face at the thought, but a ball of dread and anxiety is also forming...you've never once had this kind of closeness with Sayaka. She's always been too...abrasive. She never quite trusted you completely, so she always remained distant. You'd almost thought she simply couldn't...Madoka had never managed to bridge that gap. Now, reflecting, you realize that that was the problem: Madoka could not. She meant too much to both of you, and Sayaka was a jealous as you were in regard to Madoka...well, maybe not quite so much, but she certainly reacted poorly to strangers befriending the pinkette.

You could respect that, if it weren't you she was reacting poorly too.

This time, though, you had made contact with her differently...through Kyousuke. You honestly can't remember if you knew him at all before...you suppose the two of you must have met at some point along the line, for him to recognize you. Regardless, he had done you a vast favor...by asking Sayaka to watch out for you, he had driven her to give you a chance...and, with your Moe-persona, she had taken on a protective role.

By the time you lost your grip on that act, she'd already come to see you as a friend...and, now, she had become precious to you, in turn.

It is for that reason that you are, at some level, absolutely terrified right now. She is precious in a way she wasn't before. She is now someone you desperately don't want to lose.

Just like your Kyouko. Just like Madoka. Just like certain iterations of Mami.

That...would be bearable, if you believed you could hold onto her, but you know you'll lose her eventually. Even if this loop were the one, Sayaka...Sayaka always dies. She doesn't have the mentality needed to survive as a Puella Magus...but she can't survive long in this situation without becoming one.

She's worse than Madoka, in that regard. Your beloved is unstoppable...she always finds a way to get herself involved, and that always gets her killed...or worse. Sayaka, though...Sayaka only rarely makes it to Walpurgisnacht. She's too reckless and impulsive to survive a human, and to unstable to survive as a Puella Magus...or so you've always believed. You're hoping that this one will be different...maybe that sword will let her survive as a human, or maybe...something...will allow her to hold on to her sanity as a Puella Magus.

You hate that hope, but you wouldn't give it up if you could. It makes you want to succeed so badly, driving you towards victory...but it's going to hurt so very much whenif you lose her.

"Are you alright, Homura?"

You're pulled from your thoughts by the elder Miki, who is looking at you from the doorway...you must have left it open last night, in your exhaustion. She looks worried for you...you wonder, for a moment, if you're crying, but you don't feel any tears upon your cheeks. No, she's just reading you well enough.

"Y-yes. I'm fine. I-it was just a rough night."

She looks doubtful, but hesitantly accepts your words, "...well, if you say so. What has you up this early?"

You allow the blush, in keeping with your primary demeanor for this loop, "O-oh. I'm going to go to the store...I was thinking about picking up some more ice cream. I hear that ice cream and a movie can be fun..."

She chuckles at that, nodding enthusiastically, "Definitely! I remember when I was your age..."

You raise a skeptical eyebrow at that, thankful that she's used to a little snark out of you now, and she flinches faintly, "Oh, fine. I remember a couple of weeks ago, I got together with an old friend to do the same thing. It's a great way to relax--just make sure Sayaka gets her homework done first."

You nod, "I-I will. T-thank you, Mrs. Miki."

She chuckles, "You really don't need to be that formal...Katsumi is fine."

You pause at those words...that's a bit more casual than you'd expect, even from her. She's still your senior, to her knowledge. Then again...she is Sayaka's mother. Formality...isn't really something they do, as far as you can tell.

"Of course, Mrs. Miki." You say it with a slight grin, and her eyebrow twitches very slightly.

'Yes. Definitely Sayaka's mother.'

"Oh, fine...I don't get why everyone makes such a big deal of it. It's just a name, you know? Well, I'm going to log in. Feel free to join me if you want, later."

With that, she heads in the direction of her bedroom, intent on sating her SAO addiction.

You can see the attraction, and you might play again sometime, but...you've been in enough battles for this week; you don't need to go find another simulated one.

Instead, you quickly dress, make some toast for breakfast, and head towards the ice cream parlor. You could just hit the grocery, but you know that they sell tubs here...and the quality is always higher than you'll find anywhere else.

You buy half a dozen, to the consternation of the guy at the counter; his dismay only doubled when you rejected his offer of help carrying them to "your car."

You, of course, stash them in your shield the moment you're out of sight.

As you head out, walking by the corner of the ice cream parlor, you glimpse a sudden motion out of the corner of your eye. You instantly turn, preparing for an attack...and catch a glimpse of a thin black tail as a cat slips out of sight.

Odd. You're not usually that jumpy...you like to think you've got a pretty good sense for danger. Then again, you have been hallucinating.

You perk up very slightly at that thought, glancing around to see if you can spot Madoka, but find the area free of delusions for the moment.

Sighing slightly, you head back towards your current home. No Madoka, but at least you have ice cream, now.

Once you make it back, you quickly stash the ice cream in the freezer--Mrs. Miki might notice if you didn't--and nod in satisfaction. It's a good start. You'll...probably need it, too, if you're going to talk to Sayaka later tonight.

Setting that grim thought aside, you head to the kitchen table and pull out your Intro to Medicine book...you might as well get some studying in while you can.

Your studies go great...you aren't exactly an expert in the medical field, but you've spent a lot of time in hospitals and Healed a lot of people, so you have a better basis than most girls your age would. You feel like you've taken a step forward towards understanding the body...and, more immediately, how to fix your heart.

After an hour of study, you yawn and take a moment to look around...Sayaka's still asleep. You could just keep studying, or you could go do something else. You could try tinkering some...a manic smile tries to form at that thought, and you reconsider. Getting deep in your blood right now might not be the best idea...but there are things besides clocks you could work on. You could build more traditional weaponry just fine...bombs, or even firearms (as long as you avoid the clock components...which means you'll need to get some more conventional materials). You could also go out and work on restocking your arsenal, or work on your magic, or visit Yuuko...or countless other things. It's a big city, and you have free time for the moment.










Calendar

Mobile Version

[CENTER OF THE MIND]

Time: 7:23:49 A.M.
Grief: 35/1000
Sanity: 189/1000
Stability Multiplier: 0.9

Calendar

Active Effects:
[Enchantment: Increase Heart Performance. Cost: 5 Grief/Hour]

Spoiler: Inventory

• Primary:
  • 1 Grief Seed of Sachiel (3 Charges)
• Books:
  • Intro to Medicine
    • +1 to Medical Skill/Hour Studied. Maximum of +5 increase.
    • (1/5)
  • Beginning Watchmaking
    • +1 to Mechanics Expertise/Hour Studied. Maximum of +5 increase.
    • (0/5)
  • Cardiology Texts
    • +5 to Medical when Treating Heart Disease
    • +1 to Medical/Hour Studied. Maximum of +3 Increase.
      • (3/3)
  • Untitled Book
• Arsenal
  • 1 Machine Gun (5 Clips)
  • 1 Handgun (3 Clips)
  • 1 Katana
• Special
  • Grandfather's Pocket Watch
    • +1 Sanity/hour if kept close while sleeping.
  • Laptop
    • Contains various essential software and allows internet access. Contains nothing related to your life as a Magi.
  • Monthly Planner
    • Unlocks Calendar
  • Heart Scans
    • Homura receives a +5 Bonus to Medical Checks when treating her Heart Condition.
• Devices
  • Shield Clock (Quality: +19) (Enchanted)

Spoiler: Abilities:

Time Stop:

• Cost:
  • 1 EE/Second; Rounded Up
  • 10 Sanity/30 Minutes; Rounded Down; Totaled Daily

Shield of Protection:

• Negates a single attack entirely.
• Cost
  • X EE
  • X is equal to the Power of the attack negated.

Magic Blast:

• Fire an energy blast from your Shield.
  • Instant Attack
  • 100% Accuracy
  • 100 Power
  • Low Damage
• Cost
  • 20 EE/Second; Rounded Up
• Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.

Attimo Finale (Magic Blast Variant)

• Fire a sphere of crystallized magic from your Shield.
  • Charge Time: 3 Seconds
  • Fast Attack
  • 100% Accuracy
  • 1000 Power
  • Massive Damage
• Cost
  • 300 Grief

Enchant:

• Adds to or alters the abilities of an object. Different effect have different costs, and must be discovered and studied in order to determine what works and what doesn't. As always, proximity to your natural magical talents lowers Cost and Difficulty.
• The costs listed below are the costs to enchant a handheld item. Vehicles cost 5 times this amount to enchant, and larger objects (buildings, warships, etc.) cost 5 times as much as a vehicle (25x the listed cost). All Enchantment Costs are rounded up.
  • Automation: The object or device will act on its own according to your will. (Cost: 5 EE/Hour)
  • Increase Power (1 EE/Power point. Max 20.)
  • Increase Speed (10 EE to double speed. Max 4x Speed.)
  • Increase Durability (1 EE/Durability point. Max 20.)
  • Increase Damage (30 EE to increase Damage scale by 1 step. Max 1.)
  • Enhance Other Ability: Examples include allowing plane to fly freely in hurricane, improving the sight enhancement from glasses, and making medicine more effective. Extremely exotic effects may be achieved through study, experimentation, and practice.(Cost: Varies).
  • Grant Supernatural Ability: Allow an object to do something that it normally can't. The stronger the relationship between the object and the effect, the lower the Cost and Difficulty will be (Homing Bullets and Auto Reload are relatively cheap. A Homing Cello, on the other hand...)
    • Homing Projectiles (1 EE/Projectile)
    • Auto Reload (5 EE)
    • Flying Knife/Sword (30 EE)
  • Ego
    • Enchantment allows you to apply your full Ego score to attacks with enchanted mundane weapons, just as if they were created through magic.
    • Cost: 5 EE

Bargaining:

• Use Magic to distort the past slightly, averting a single disaster before it occurred. Very powerful, but has limits.
• Cost
  • 500 Sanity
  • 500 EE

Weapons:

Spoiler: Progressive Knife

• Durability: 300
• Maximum Number: 1
• Attack Types:
  • Slash: Effective Power = Power * 1.2, Standard Damage
  • Stab: Effective Power = Power * 1.5, Moderate decrease in Damage
• Special Ability:
  • Progressive: If contact is maintained with the target, the attack's effective Power increases by 10 for each second of sustained contact, assuming pressure is maintained, to a maximum of +100 Power

Spoiler: Shield of Love

• Durability: Infinite
• Maximum Number: 1
• Special Abilities
  • Focus for Shield of Protection}
  • Focus for Time Stop
  • Required for Time Reversal

Armor:

Spoiler: Magical Girl Outfit

• Durability: 50
• Special Abilties
  • Multiplies Speed and Strength by 10

Accessories:

Spoiler: Soul Gem

• Durability: 15
• Special Abilities
  • Contains your Soul

Next Action:

[ ] Continue studying Intro to Medicine
-[ ] How many hours?
[ ] Go shopping/looting.
-[ ] Machine Parts and Tools
-[ ] Bomb Materials
-[ ] Weapons
--[ ] Anything in Particular?
-[ ] Write-In
[ ] Get Sake, then visit Yuuko
[ ] Go investigate something.
-[ ] Write-In
[ ] Go somewhere.
-[ ] Write-In
[ ] Work on your Magic
-[ ] Where?
[ ] Write-In