[X] Plan Road Trip (part 1)
"What are you looking forward to doing on this trip?"
Your party of eleven has broken itself up along fairly understandable lines; you, Madoka, and Archer in one cluster of seats; Sayaka, Hitomi, Tomoe-san, and Kyouko in another - though Sayaka has been adamantly refusing to acknowledge Kyouko's presence for the entire trip. Just what happened between them that night at Tomoe-san's apartment? What could Kyouko have said or done to keep Sayaka so upset at her for two whole weeks? And in the third cluster of seats, Mikuni Oriko, Kures Kirika and Minako, and Lancer.
Your question steals Madoka's attention away from the window where she watched the Kanagawa scenery roll past. "I hadn't really thought of anything in particular," she says, adding with a smile just for you, "I was mostly looking forward to getting to spend time with you, Homura-chan."
"Yes, I was looking forward to the same thing. A relaxing trip to the beach with the person I love-" you give Madoka's offered hand a squeeze at those words "-is just what I need after... After everything that's happened lately." You hadn't meant to turn the mood sour, but there's no way to escape the truth; this trip is your escape from the stress of everything that has transpired lately. "I'm sure all our other friends are thinking the same thing."
"Do you all mind if I sit here for a little?" Standing in the aisle, and gesturing to the empty seat next to Archer, is Kure Minako. "I don't mean to intrude if you don't want me; it's just that I've already met Bryn, so I was hoping to get to know this trip's other chaperone, if that's alright with you."
"Seat yourself," Archer says; as Kure Minako takes her seat, you and your servant exchange looks with each other.
"So, tell me a little about yourself," Kure Minako says, but as soon as she and Archer take to small-talk, you tone the conversation out. Glancing over in her direction, you see that Sayaka appears to be the only one not enjoying herself, even in the slightest. You sigh to yourself, earning a concerned stare from Madoka as you take your phone out.
<Homura: I know you're upset, Sayaka, but that's no reason to let it ruin your vacation.>
<Homura: You don't have to make friends with them, but at least for the weekend, can you put aside your anger so you can have some fun?>
<Homura: I'm worried about you.>
You type out a lengthy message to Sayaka, describing in detail the current situation between yourself, Mikuni Oriko, and Kure Kirika; and in addition you explain what caused hthe two of them to act in the manner that they did back then, and why, thanks to your Geis as well as the effort you and Tomoe-san have put into reforming the pair, she is no longer at risk from them any longer; but befor eyou can complete your message, Sayaka responds.
<Sayaka: I'l be fine, ok? So just leave me alone>
<Sayaka: I dont wanna talk abt it rn>
You stare at the lengthy block of text you've written to Sayaka; Rather than hit [Send] you instead close your message, opting to [Save draft?] for later, in case Sayaka ever wants to talk about it. But while you still have your phone out, there is one more person you want to send a message to before putting your phone away.
<Homura: We're on our way to Mikuni Oriko's beach house right now. I know you never gave me an answer, but if you still want to join us you probably could catch a later train to Hakone and join us in a few hours.>
This time, you don't need to wait very long before receiving your response.
<McRemitz-san: Nah, I don't think I want to. Nothing against joining you girls, but I thought it'd be weird to have a virtual stranger going on vacation with a bunch of kids.>
Well, that answers that question. Perhaps McRemitz-san would have enjoyed herself had she gone, and upon your return she'll find she regrets missing out. On the other hand, if sand or water were to get into her arm, you aren't sure that would be a very enjoyable experience for her. Your eyes wander to Madoka, and you smile for her, giving her hand another squeeze as you put your phone away. There's still a long way to go before you reach Hakone, but as you look out the window, you "Madoka, look-" you say, pointing to the faint outline of a bird in the darkening distance. "-a hawk; did you see it?"
Madoka strains her eyes, looking in the direction of your finger, until "I see it! Wow, it's so pretty." She turns back to you, smiling as she says "Thank you for pointing it out to me, Homura-chan." You can't help but smile back when Madoka smiles at you.
"Your girl and her girlfriend are so cute together," your ears register the voice of Kure Minako, and your eyes quickly confirm that she's still here, talking to Archer. "I know what the prevailing attitude towards same-sex couples is in Japan, so I'm glad that Mitakihara is more accepting of their love."
"Finding out that your daughter likes girls sure does change the way you view this kind of thing, doesn't it?" Archer asks her, to which Kure Minako nods. You're thinking that Archer could use a break from talking to her.
"There's something I've been wondering- Given my current level of practice, how much longer would it be before I can start to safely use Reinforcement to strengthen parts of my body?"
"If you keep at it the way you kept at studying your rune? Maybe no more than a week, and you'd be able to safely do what you're looking for. But I should warn you, you probably won't be able to safely Reinforce your entire body in the time you have left before Walpurgisnacht. If you work at it every night, I'd say you could probably safely manage to Reinforce two limbs at a time, given the time you have left."
Two limbs at a time; that's better than you had been hoping, but against Walpurgisnacht you don't know if just two limbs will be enough. "I see. Thank you." You'll have time later to think about whether two limbs will be worth furthering your knowledge in Reinforcement over something else - perhaps another rune, or another path of Isa - but for now, "I'll be right back," you say, kissing Madoka on the cheek as you stand. "I just need to ask the others something."
Madoka's face is as red as an apple's skin, and softly she says "Okay. I'll see you in a bit, Homura-chan."
You leave your seat, walking down the aisle to the cluster where Hitomi and Tomoe-san are seated. "Hey," you say, waving to the four seated girls. "I just wanted to ask Hitomi and Tomoe-san something; I won't be long."
"Nonsense, Akemi-san," Hitomi says. "Please, stay as long as you'd like." You would, were there a seat available to you; and were Madoka not waiting for you to return. "Now, what did you need to ask us?"
"It's about your magecraft studies," you say in a low voice, trying to keep your voice down so any strangers seated nearby don't hear you. "Well, you and Sayaka, actually. I was wondering what either of you were looking to practice while we're on vacation; and maybe, you'd be interested in setting up a study session with Archer."
"Oh, absolutely," Hitomi responds with enthusiasm. "While I'm away from my parents would be the perfect time to study, since I wouldn't have to worry about them finding me out. But..." Her eyes dart over to your cluster, where Kure Minako is still talking to Archer. "... Won't Kure-san's mother be put in just as much risk if she were to find out?"
"She already knows," Tomoe-san answers for you. "Kure-san told her about magic a little while ago; she's in the clear." You nod, and Tomoe-san turn to you to ask "And what about me, Akemi-san? You wanted to ask me about magecraft as well, correct?"
"Yes. I was wondering if you might want to learn something from Archer as well." You know that Tomoe-san's skills in Projection are top-notch, but "Perhaps you'd like to learn a bit more about Reinforcement? That's what I was hoping to learn a bit more about from Archer on this trip, so I figured I'd extend the invitation to you."
"Yes, that does sound nice. I suppose anything we can learn will be helpful for the battles still to come."
"Hey, waddabout me?" Kyouko barks, leaning over Tomoe-san to angrily stare at you. "Yer gunna invite everyone else but me? Izzat it? What, did ya just forget I was here?"
"I was under the impression that you didn't want to have to rely on magic to fight, if you didn't have to."
"Well, yeah, but I mean ya could've at least asked me? Ain't it rude ta invite everyone else but me when I'm sitting right here?"
"That is... Actually a very good point; my apologies, I hadn't meant to exclude you when I was asking the others." You can't take back making Kyouko feel excluded, but you can correct course and try to make her feel included to come. "Would you like to join us in studying magecraft with Archer and the others?"
"Nah, I'll pass," Kyouko says, exactly as you predicted she would. "I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I ain't never been ta the beach before, so I was just kinda hoping ta enjoy myself. Studying-" Kyouko says that word the same way one might say leukemia "-would really get in the way'a that, ya know?"
"I understand," you say, bowing for your friends. "Anyway, thank you for giving me your time. I'll leave the four of you get back to what you had been talking about." After all, you still have one more person you want to talk to. You had been planning on asking Mikuni Oriko directly, but in light of Kyouko's earlier contribution you're thinking that it would be better to ask her inside your telepathy. Otherwise, Kure Kirika might feel left out. "Mikuni Oriko, are you free to talk for a moment?"
"Of course, Akemi-san." You peer over the headrest of her seat; you can see that in the absence of Kure Kirika's mother, Mikuni Oriko is currently lip-locked with her lover. It looks like she wouldn't have been able to talk after all. Lancer, in a move you consider quite wise given the situations he finds herself in, excuses herself from her master's presence, passing you in the aisle as she heads in Archer's direction. "I'm a little occupied right now, but I can spare a few thoughts for you."
"I can see that," is what you want to say; but you maintain your air of professionalism, and instead say "Archer will be teaching some of the girls and I some of his magecraft while we're on vacation. I was wondering if you would like to join us. Tomoe-san and I will be working on Reinforcement; given the injury you sustained to your arm when that one witch broke through your barriers, I was thinking that you might also benefit from learning how to strengthen parts of your body."
"As long as it isn't scheduled for tomorrow morning, I think I should be able to find the time to sit in on one of Archer's lessons."
"What's tomorrow morning?" you ask; tomorrow is Sunday, but why is having tomorrow morning free so important to MIkuni Oriko?
"Well, since there's no longer a church where we live, it's impossible for me to attend Sunday mass. So instead, on Sunday mornings I like to take an hour or two to read from my Bible, pray, and contemplate on what I've read. Sometimes Kirika joins me, but I can tell it's mostly out of curiousity and a desire to share in what I'm doing."
It probably isn't a good idea to encourage Mikuni Oriko to put herself into situations where she's likely to be kidnapped, but "Perhaps that's something you should talk to Nurse Ortensia about. She did tell me she was originally sent here to take over from the priest before her. She might be amicable to having the church rebuilt, if you ask her and can show there's enough local support for it."
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try asking her."
"Oriko? You hear Kure Kirika's voice coming from the next cluster of seats over; the pair has finally stopped kissing, from the sound of things. "Is something wrong? You just... Stopped, all of a sudden."
"Everything's fine, dearest," Mikuni Oriko replies, pulling her lover in close once more; correction. It seems the pair only stopped to come up for air. "Now, getting back to your original question- Yes, I should be able to join you and the others if it isn't tomorrow morning; but what about Kirika? Would it be alright for me to invite her?"
"I would advise against it. We both know how brash and over-eager she can be, and I'm afraid she might seriously hurt herself if she tries to Reinforce her body before she's learned enough to do it safely."
"... I see. I'll let you know, then, Akemi-san. We'll be in Hakone soon enough; maybe no more than a half-hour before we arrive at the station."
"Right, thank you. I'll make sure to tell the others." You glance over your shoulder when you hear footsteps; it's Lancer and Kure Minako, finally returning to their seats. "And you two should stop whatever you're doing as well. You've got company arriving very shortly."
. Prob mostly getting to know Archer first and her reciprocating.
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