[X] The vote
"I admire your willingness to accept new information and adapt based off it accordingly."
"I like the spirit you bring to everything you do, even when at times it conflicts with what I'm trying to do. It means that you truly care about the things you try and accomplish, and I respect that."
"Your creativity is amazing, and it translates well in everything you do, be it in your usage of your Magic, your cooking, or your school life."
As Tomoe-san passes her turn speaking to you, you wonder if the things you have said about the others are adequate. You wonder if the others will have anything adequate to say about you. While Tomoe-san had a good idea in regards to breaking the ice among the five of you, you wonder whether a mere three sentences is enough to give you an idea of the person speaking them.
All you can do is hope that the people around you continue to listen.
"My name is Akemi Homura," are your opening words. "I am fourteen years old, and I've been a puella magi for..." Just how long has it been since you started?
You try to think back, try to count the number of times that you have relived the same forty-five days on repeat. "Eight years? Ten? Twelve? Could it be even more than that? A hundred, maybe?"
You don't even know how old you really are anymore.
"...Funny. It's been so long that I don't even remember when I made my contract. Anyway, I like collecting guns and spending time with my girlfriend, Kaname Madoka. I am glad that we've all come together and put aside our differences for the chance to remove the greater evils in this city."
Kyouko looks at you and asks "Guns? In Japan? Ain't that, like, illegal?" You have to imagine that this doesn't count towards her requisite "say something nice".
"Yes, Sakura Kyouko, it is illegal. Unfortunately, until recently my offensive magical abilities were severely limited and I was left with no other options but to use mundane firearms for combat." Even though the people around you are listening now, the memories of the times they did not listen are painful scars that mark your many failures. Failures to communicate your intentions, failures to understand the people around you, failures to reach the people that mattered when it mattered.
But firearms are different. A firearm, like any mechanical system, is consistent and behaves in one way. You don't need to communicate with a firearm to make use of it. You don't need to understand social cues. As long as you know how to operate it, it will always perform the same way every time. "That, and I find them to be much simpler to understand than other people, most of the time." No one makes any further comments after that.
"Thank you, Akemi-san. I find your ability to take charge and make the best of bad situations to be inspiring and worthy of respect."
"And thanks ta yer constant meddling, I was finally able ta pull my head outta my ass and make right with Mami again. So, thanks fer not giving up."
"And thank you, Akemi-san, for making me realize the error of my ways and setting me on the right path. I appreciate the things you continue to do."
As with Kyouko and Tomoe-san, Kure Kirika is initially silent, burning holes into your skull with her amber eyes. Mikuni Oriko nudges her, but Kure Kirika remains obstinate. "Kirika, you're supposed to say something nice about Akemi-san." Still nothing. "Kirika, you promised me that you'd do your best to behave and not make a scene."
"That's why I'm not saying anything," comes Kure Kirika's reply at last. "She tried to kill you. She tried to kill you and you expect me to say something nice about her?" Mikuni Oriko scoots closer to Kure Kirika, attempting to do her best to comfort the wounded girl. Kure Kirika's hand reaches to Mikuni Oriko's collar, gently touching the place where you had shot her. "I don't have anything nice to say about Akemi Homura. So I'd rather not say anything at all."
Mikuni Oriko tries her hardest to smile for Kure Kirika, picking the latter's hand up from her collar as she laces their fingers together. "It's true, dearest, she did try to kill me. But she also showed me mercy, and she's given us another chance to be better than we were before. So please, just say something nice about her." The pair share a glance into the others' eyes; brief, but tender and loving all the same. "For me?"
Kure Kirika sighs, finally giving in to her lover's demand with a "Alright. For you." Kure Kirika refuses to face you, and she does mutter her words under her breath, but you can clearly hear her say "I like that you didn't kill my Oriko." That's probably the best you can get from her.
"Well, that was... Touching," Tomoe-san says, trying to salvage what remains of her exercise. "Kure-san, it's your turn now, isn't it?"
Kure Kirika nods, and in the same uninspired mutter she says "My name's Kure Kirika. I'm fifteen, and I've been a puella magi for nine months." Then she smiles, and her voice picks up as she announces. "I love Oriko. Oriko is my everything. I only like what Oriko likes and I only do what Oriko does."
"Dearest, that isn't true at all," Mikuni Oriko interjects. "You are your own person, and there's no shame in admitting that to others."
Kure Kirika rolls her eyes, but with an exasperated "Fine," she relents. "I like dancing, older anime, and bad movies. Sometimes I'll like something but Oriko won't."
"Thank you," both Tomoe-san and Mikuni Oriko say, almost simultaneously. "I think you have a very strong will, Kure-san. That's a very admirable trait to have if used properly."
"You said I was a monster on the dance machines, but yer not too shabby yerself. Heck, yer the only person I've met that's able ta match me at my favourite song."
"Your loyalty to and love for your girlfriend is something that I can wholeheartedly respect," you say when your turn comes. For the many negative things you could say about Kure Kirika, you know that her love for Mikuni Oriko perhaps even surpasses your own love for Madoka; and when push comes to shove, she fights just as fiercely as you for the one she loves.
And speaking of Mikuni Oriko, "Dearest, when you first confessed to me, I didn't know what to think. To be honest, I had never given any thought to the idea of being with another girl before. But I'm so glad that I said yes, because being with you has made me happier than I've ever been in my life. I love you, Kure Kirika, more than I can ever say."
"That was beautiful, Mikuni-san," Tomoe-san says, wiping away a single tear from the corner of her eye with a smile. "Alright, now that we've all introduced ourselves, I was thinking we could-"
"Hold that thought, Tomoe-san," you interject. "Before we start anything else, there's something I had meant to say before we started that slipped my mind earlier."
"Hm? What's that, Akemi-san?"
"Earlier this morning, Hitomi brought some things to my attention that she felt were worth my consideration. First was an organization calling itself the "Church of the Righteous Sister", which she believes to be magical in some fashion and that operates out of an abandoned warehouse in Kazamino. Their flyers have apparently been making the rounds across the city, and I'm curious if any of you have heard of them before."
All four of your guests nod. "It's black and white with a red sunburst over a cross, right?" Mikuni Oriko asks. Now it's your turn to nod. "I found one in with the paper this morning." That seems to be a recurring theme for this organization.
"Second, Hitomi pointed out to me that all of the recently disappeared either lived or worked a short distance from a single bar in uptown. I had Archer check them out earlier, and he reports that a certain regular at the bar seems to have a connection with all of the disappeared. I'm not sure whether or not either of these are truly magical or not, but I wanted to keep everyone informed about what may need to be addressed in the future."
"Now, Tomoe-san, you had been saying?"
"Right. I was thinking we could all do something together that was a bit more substantive than just sitting around and talking. Last night, I had run a few ideas by Akemi-san and Sakura-san, such as karaoke or group cooking, but I think I'd like to get the opinions of everyone before we made any decisions."
"I had been thinking we could go to the mall," you say. "There's enough to do that I'm sure we could all find something to enjoy, and unless we stay out too late there's no real risk of having Assassin or something else attack us." Tomoe-san and Mikuni-san nod along with your suggestion, but Kyouko and Kure Kirika don't seem so enthused.
"I had fun doing that cooking thing last night, and I was kinda hoping ta do that again today," Kyouko says. "That, and I'm just a sucker when it comes ta food."
"And I..." Kure Kirika clutches at the remnants of her legs. "... I don't want to be seen out when I'm like this.
[ ] Wat do?"
