[X] Basic communication 2
"Itadakimasu!"
It's rare that the kitchen table has a fourth occupant; usually that only happens on the weekend when Kirika comes home. But today, it isn't Kirika sitting in the fourth chair, but Madoka. You'll see your Big Sis sitting at the kitchen table again come Saturday evening, but seeing Madoka over for breakfast is a rare treat, one which you are all too willing to enjoy. "So, I hope you two didn't do anything last night that your father and I wouldn't approve of."
Unfortunately, you aren't the only one willing to enjoy Madoka's presence.
You sputter at Minako's insinuation, almost choking on breakfast. "Mom!" Madoka's face is bright red; you imagine that you've become the red cabbage as well. "Come on, don't say that! Who do you think I am, Kirika?"
"No, but I do think you're the same age Kirika was when I had to have that conversation with her." Minako clicks her tongue, not at you, but in the direction of her biological daughter, who right now isn't here to hear her mother's chastising. She smiles for you, saying "I know you're taking that stuff slower than Kirika did, sweetie, and I'm glad you and Madoka are so well-behaved." Minako pouts, adding "But that just makes it really hard to tease you about it. I've got to take my chances when they appear."
You roll your eyes, and earn yourself a pouty face from Minako as you ask Archer "Can you try to keep mom under control?"
"If I knew how, I promise you I would."
"Maybe there's something you two could do together that would give you more opportunities to try?"
"Like what?"
"Well, while you were doing the laundry, mom and I were talking about some things you two might be able to do together that wouldn't... Keep me up at night. I didn't have many suggestions, but maybe it's something you and mom could talk about when you have the time?"
"Oh?" Archer looks up from you, turning his attention towards Minako even as he asks you "What sort of suggestions did you have for us?"
You're sure Archer's question was one meant for Minako to respond to, so you'll stay quiet and let her answer. "Homura suggested stuff like a puzzle, or us working on art together; things that we could pick up and put down at our leisure without having to commit a huge chunk of time to."
"Huh." Archer chews on Minako's words, much the way in which he chews on a bite of breakfast. "Well, it's certainly something we could try out," he says. "I do recall saying we needed to try new things."
Minako smirks, responding with "As I recall, you weren't saying that about us finding a new hobby."
Seeing those words inspire such redness in Madoka's face, you cough into your hand. "Perhaps that's something you two should discuss in private, then. There are children present."
"I'm sorry about my parents." Madoka's face was pretty red at several points during breakfast, but where her embarrassment has faded, yours has not. "Still, I'm glad you were able to spend the night, and I hope you enjoyed yourself in spite of everything."
Madoka smiles, responding to your gladness with a kiss. "I'm just glad you finally had some time to spend with me, Homura-chan," she says. "You and the others have been so busy lately, that finding time to spend with you hasn't been easy." Madoka looks off in the direction of the school, adding "Everything's going okay with you and the others, right?"
"We've been trying to get some work done on our side since Sunday night," you say. "But fortunately, we haven't been in conflict with those other girls since then." Unfortunately, you don't imagine things staying this way forever. The enemy must be planning something. But what? You decide to change the subject, saying "Thank you for your help with Amy earlier. I know she's been wanting to play with you again for some time now."
"Any time! Just say the word, Homura-chan; I'm always happy to come over and see Amy."
"Why Madoka, it sounds like you enjoyed seeing Amy more than you did me..." You grin, slipping behind Madoka and tickling her down the length of her ribs. "If that's how little you think of me, then I guess I'll have to punish you!"
"Weihihihi~! Stop it, Homura-chan!" Under her laughter, Madoka can barely manage to squeak her pleas out. Dutifully, you stop, and Madoka says "You know I love you."
"Hey Hitomi, remember that face you made when you saw me and Madoka playing around like that?" Your reverie with Madoka is interrupted, as it always is, by the arrival of Sayaka and Hitomi; though this time, Kyouko is with them. You guess she must have spent the night with Sayaka. Sayaka nudges Hitomi, adding with a mischievous grin "Progress."
"Yes, well, I've come a long way since then," she says; and she has. "You and Madoka-san both being romantically involved with other girls has been a real eye-opener for me, as have Kure-san and Mikuni-san..." Hitomi stares off into the distance, looking like the shell-shocked soldier from that famous photograph. Oriko and Kirka were perhaps too much of an eye-opener for her. Hitomi coughs into her hand, saying "Well, my point is, I've progressed past the point where I'm going to judge any of my friends for the sort of relationships they have."
You nod; you can remember Hitomi confiding in you her struggles to accept her friends' partners due to her parents' influence. "Speaking of progress, did you ever decide if you were going to start learning a rune or not?"
Hitomi nods her head. "Yes, I did. After looking over the primer Mikuni-san had Lancer type up for me, I've decided to start working on Dagaz. There were a few others I saw that looked promising, but Dagaz has applications with transmutation magecraft, which is something I'm already working on with my Mystic Codes; and I thought it might help us better understand the abilities of Kanna Niko and how we might better counter her own transmutation abilities."
Just then, Sayaka snickers to herself, prompting stares from everyone else. "You wanna tell us what's so funny, Blueberry?" Kyouko asks. "Come on, share yer little joke with the rest'a the class, why don't ya?"
"Well, I was just thinking-" Sayaka's words are undercut by her laughter. "-What if you, Homura, and the others, all decided to switch your magical girl costumes one day? I bet that'd be pretty funny to see."
You don't really have a response for Sayaka, outside of an uninterested questioning look. Kyouko, on the other hand, takes much more interest in Sayaka's proposal. "All right, see, now yer talking stupid," she says. "First, we gotta figure out if we're just we're just trading styles, or if we're full-on swapping costumes; 'cause if we're swapping costumes, we're gunna run inta some logistical problems." You don't mean to be rude, but you never would have guessed that Kyouko would use a word like 'logistical'. "First, there's the matter of us all being different sizes, and I ain't just talking about our heights." Kyouko makes a gesture with her hands, cupping a pair of invisible breasts that don't exist. "I mean, ain't nobody gunna fit in anything Big White wears, much as Crazy probably wishes she could." Kyouko turns to you, asking a question you've never wanted to consider in "What is she, anyway; ninety-six centimeters? Izzat something Crazy's ever told ya?"
You shake your head. "I wouldn't know." Nor is it particularly your business to know. "Though I do see your point. Without a tailor-" Or perhaps someone versed in Alteration magecraft, "-it wouldn't be feasible for us to swap outfits. Oriko is too tall, and Kirika is too short. Tomoe-san is around our size, but her bust means we'd have to take in the chest of her outfit if either of us wanted to wear it. You and I might be able to swap our outfits as they are-" And if you wore Kyouko's red, you and Archer would match, too. "-but aside from us, the others would have to have have their new outfit tailored to varying degrees; or in Oriko's case, possibly made entirely from scratch."
"Still, it would be interesting to see," Hitomi chimes in. "I don't know if any of you would look better wearing the outfit of another, but it would certainly be interesting."
Sayaka rolls her eyes." Geez, you guys," she moans. "Why'd you have to go and take it so seriously? It was a joke! You weren't supposed to dissect it like the frogs from last year's biology lab!"
"Underestimate puella magi at your own peril, Miki Sayaka." Beside you, Kyouko nods her head. You hope Sayaka continues to take your sage words of wisdom to heart. They've kept her alive so far.
[ ] Wat do?
