Chapter 93 - On The Daily Grind Once More
Organizing teams for patrol is difficult. Even under otherwise normal circumstances, managing the interplay of personalities and abilities is essential for ensuring every team works together flawlessly. As far as that goes, it's not a particularly challenging job. Homura will outright refuse to leave Madoka alone during active combat from what you can guess, so the two of them might as well be sorted together. Sayaka has been warming up to Homura, especially after her Distortion, and Madoka could definitely play mediator between the two, but it would on the whole be unnecessary. Besides, both Homura and Sayaka have powers that work as force multipliers. They're better off divided between the two teams.
Kyoko and Mami are old friends, experienced in fighting beside one another. They both survived hunting Witches either alone or together for years, a feat almost unheard of for Magical Girls. Placing them on a team together, and alongside the least experienced combatant, makes the most sense to you. Kyoko can restrain her aura, and between her and Mami Sayaka has a lot to work with.
Furthermore, in your current arrangement, there are certain volatile factors that need to be balanced.
Placing both of the Distortions on a single team would likely be a poor idea. You know from Homura's memories that she and Kyoko got along rather well, especially in comparison to everyone else, but that might not apply any more. Homura as she is now is even more single-minded than she was before her transformation. She's barely interacted with anybody but you since then, even keeping a distance from Madoka in her self-appointed duty. With that in mind, you feel it best that you join her group for this patrol.
A few quick calls gets everyone on board, without any contradiction or complaints against the groups you've decided on. As the sun dips over the horizon, you set off.
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The first Barrier your group finds is one you've seen before. The normally bleeding neon webbing that makes up the floor of Lulu's Barrier is turned colorless under Homura's time stop. Despite the lack of opposition, Madoka still has trouble balancing. Only a few steps into the Barrier and she steps at a slight angle on one of the threads, nearly sending her tumbling to the false cityscape below. Homura turns, sheer panic filling the air despite her lack of expression, but it's not necessary. You jump forward and catch the pink-haired girl before she can fall, pulling her back up and helping her stabilize stop the monochrome web.
"You don't have to be here." Homura says, concern clear despite her monotone. "X and I could handle this easily. You are only endangering yourself pointlessly."
"I'm sorry…" Madoka's voice trails off as she looks down in shame.
"No, no, it's fine." you assure. "Here, let me just…" A simple readjustment lets you lift the kid up off the unstable ground and into your arms. Carrying somebody so much smaller than you does nothing to interfere with your balance, so you can make up for Madoka's own lack of supernatural coordination.
"This wouldn't be necessary if you didn't choose to tag along on these hunts. There's no reason you should be here." Homura points out. To some extent, you agree with her. Madoka becoming a Magical Girl would be a failure for you, so ideally there really isn't any reason for Madoka to be further familiarizing herself with how Witches work. However, you know better than to expect ideal results. She's involved, and that's unlikely to change any time soon. At least this way you can keep an eye on her.
"Mami says that I should see what it's like being a Magical Girl, so I can make an informed decision." Madoka recites. You have a suspicion that she's borrowing Mami's exact words to try and give an impression of confidence she has trouble showing otherwise.
You direct a soldier to open fire at a few of the Familiars floating frozen around the Barrier. The salvo freezes just before impact, leaving no hope of survival. It's much easier to aim at small targets when they aren't moving.
"Haven't you seen enough? What about everything you've seen so far makes you think that becoming a Magical Girl will do anything other than hurt you?" Homura's voice remains flat, though her frustration is apparent in her words. And yet, there's a trace of resignation in the way she starts to turn away before Madoka has even responded. She's had this argument before, and already knows how it ends.
"I know it'll be hard. But even then, shouldn't I do what I can to help people?" Madoka answers. Homura doesn't respond, already moving further in through the Barrier.
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You finally reach Lulu herself, sitting petrified in the center of her web. Homura wastes no time in stepping up to the hand-shaped creature and drawing a shotgun from somewhere. You know she stored her weapons in her shield before, but now they simply appear from thin air. The weapons themselves are different, too. Before, Homura's armory was piecemeal and made up of whatever she could get her hands on. Now, not only do they match her outfit's aesthetics, but they're high quality. By the City's standards, too. Homura's finger closes around the trigger, and an amethyst plume of light bursts from the shotgun's barrel. The frozen bullets gleam like crystals just above the Trapdoor Witch's skin.
The sound of gears grinding against each other heralds time's flow resuming, only to be replaced by a great cacophony as the Barrier dies. Madoka blinks rapidly in your arms, momentarily blinded by the sudden flood of colors. It only lasts a moment, though, before Homura's attack shreds the fragile Witch. The neon lights vanish into the cage of the Grief Seed, which tumbles to the ground.
Before anyone else can react, you get an idea.
"Homura?"
The girl turns towards you with an inquisitive gaze. Without explaining anything, you step forwards and drop Madoka into Homura's arms. She reaches out and catches her almost automatically, and the two stare frozen at one another while you retrieve the Grief Seed. Homura's expression is unchanged, as always, but you don't miss the subtle adjustment of her posture to make the carry as comfortable as possible. Were she able to, you have no doubt she'd be blushing furiously right about now. Madoka, for her part, gets over the confusion quite quickly.
"So, you gonna let her down now?" you say back to the pair. As if suddenly reminded of the circumstances, Homura jolts slightly before setting Madoka onto her feet. The two look away from one another, occasionally glancing back. Meanwhile, you just chuckle quietly to yourself. You did promise to do your best to help Homura, after all. Setting her up with her crush is probably included in that help.
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A few uneventful Witches later, and the sun is down. You cleared the route in time, leaving Madoka to head home and Homura to probably follow her in secret.
"Oh… Homura..?" Madoka starts slowly. It seems you might be wrong about that last part. The black-haired girl freezes completely upon being addressed, turning mechanically back to face the other kid.
"If you don't have anywhere else to go… would you like to stay over at my house tonight?"
"Yes." Homura's delivery is flat and passionless, but the speed with which she replies gives away her real reaction. You quietly step away, leaving the two to head back together. The night has fallen, and that means only one thing for you.
You have work to get to.
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Night falls…
[] Training/Experimentation
-[] With what?
[] Hunt Witches/Abnormalities
[] Investigate Kamihama City
[] Attend to business in the Library
[] Write-in
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Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Character interactions are difficult, and I haven't had as much practice writing Madoka as I have other characters. This chapter was a bit of a challenge.
