[X] Plan Thank The Dice Gods
"This is a pretty nice setup you've got here."
After dessert, and as soon as the dishes were taken care of, Kaname Tomohisa took you on a tour of his garden. Well, 'garden' may not be the most accurate word for what the father Kaname has set up; 'greenhouse' may be more accurate. Located on a rooftop patio encased in glass, the impressive green expanse, you imagine, looks much better in the daytime, but even in the light of the moon it's a setup that has to be seen to be believed.
"Well, I've had a lot of time to get everything perfect," Kaname Tomohisa responds. "But really, none of this would have been possible without Junko."
"You know, something tells me she's thinking the same thing about you." Kaname Tomohisa nods, standing back while you take a few seconds longer to perform some stealthy structural analyses on the vegetables in the garden. They're barely sprouting, and already you can tell that there's some top-quality produce growing here. "Looking forward to a good harvest this year, are we?"
Kaname Tomohisa nods, saying "You've got a good eye for produce. We'd love to have someone like you at the store, if you're interested."
"Maybe," you say, not entirely sure when you'd fit in a part-time job at a produce store with the way things are looking now. Maybe once this is all over... "Right now, I'm mostly just focused on helping Minako get back on her feet." You scratch at the back of your head, and say in a sheepish tone "Actually, about that... Minako doesn't believe me, but I've never actually been in another relationship before her, so... I was wondering if you had any tips on how to date a woman like her."
Kaname Tomohisa laughs, but it's not a mean-spirited or teasing laugh, and he says "Well, from what Junko tells me, you've got Minako head over heels for you, so I'd say you're already doing a pretty good job of things by yourself. Really, I think the best thing you can do is just keep doing what you're doing, and be there for her when she needs you."
"It can't really be that simple, can it?"
"I won't pretend to know Minako as well as either you or Junko do, but if they're anything alike, then I'd wager that one of her biggest problems is that she's... Well, that she's too strong for her own good. What I mean by that is, that they're so used to having to deal with problems on their own, that they need someone there that can make them feel comfortable about opening up, but who wont be aggressive about making them open up." You nod along to Kaname Tomohisa's advice, which he follows up by saying "Even the strongest of us need someone we can lean on from time to time; whether it's making them their favourite dinner, giving them a back rub, lending them an ear when they need to vent about something; or in Minako's case specifically, being there for her daughter when she can't be. I won't pretend to say I know anything about Kirika, but if you've already got her calling you 'dad' then I think you've got this one well under control."
Then, just when you think Kaname Tomohisa has given you some good advice and is done, he winks, and adds on one last piece of advice. "And of course, making her feel like a woman is never a bad thing, either."
The first thing you do once time is moving again is cleanse your Soul Gem. You have no idea how dark it had gotten in the course of your explanation to Madoka or the breakdown that followed, but after letting the person you love peer that deeply into your heart, it's best to keep yourself safe rather than risk everything.
"I hope you weren't eavesdropping on us the entire time," you say to Kirika, though you expect that she will have been regardless.
"I promise you, Homura; I wasn't. I know how important it is when you have to say something to your most important person, so I'll respect that you wanted some privacy to talk things over with Pinkie. Is everything good between you two?"
You look over at Madoka; she's smiling, but deep down you can see how much she's hurting for you, even if she doesn't believe your words. But still, Madoka is safe; she knows the truth about you; and she still accepts you in spite of knowing how you've failed her. "Yes," you say with confidence. "Everything is good between us."
"Then hurry downstairs, will you? I'm getting tired of sitting around doing nothing."
"We should probably get going," you say to Madoka, as you give her hand one last squeeze. "I don't imagine it was very nice of us to leave Kirika alone while we went up here to talk."
Madoka nods, saying "Right," as she leads you by the hand out of her room and back downstairs. "Come on, Homura-chan. Let's go."
"So there I am - hic - working this job for... What, two, three years now? And I get assigned some stupid commercial account. Couple'a guys wanna open up a produce store, or something. Big deal, amirite?" You and Madoka arrive downstairs just at the same time that Archer and Kaname Tomohisa are returning from their own discussion; and the four of you, by the sound of things, have just wandered into Kaname Junko telling Kure Minako about how she and Kaname Tomohisa met. "Turns out, the guy I'm meeting with is, like, su~uper hot, and he's only a few years younger than me, too!"
The two women are well into a case of beer, though Kure Minako is drinking at a more reserved pace than her conversation partner, who is down about eight cans of Sapporo Premium; possibly more. You can't make out how many are littered around her from this position; and the more Kaname Junko drinks, the more strongly her accent comes on. The four of your watch and listen silently, not wanting to disrupt the two women in the middle of their conversation. "Oh, sure, we tried to keep things professional between us, but I mean, it was only a matter of time before the account was done... I tell you, Minako, if that idiot had taken another week to ask me out, I'd have gone over to his house and knocked his lights out for making me wait!"
"I swear, I must'a rubbed Buddha's belly pretty damn hard in a past life to deserve a guy like Tomo. He's kind, smart, funny, patient... He's a great cook; he doesn't mind staying home with the kids... And he fucks like a goddamn superhero." Kaname Tomohisa's face goes a brilliant scarlet at his wife's words, and he tries to make himself as invisible as possible while everyone else has to pretend that they didn't hear what Kaname Junko said about him. "If Archer can make you feel the way Tomo makes me feel, girl, you better make him put a ring on you, soon as he can."
"Alright, honey, I think the others have heard enough." Kaname Tomohisa overcomes his red cabbage nature and steps in between his wife and everyone else as best as he can. "Everyone, I'm very grateful that you all came and enjoyed yourselves, but I think we should be calling it a night about now."
"Aw, come on, Tomo, let'em stay!" Kaname Junko turns around in her chair, only just now seeing the crowd of people that had gathered to hear her say what she did about her husband. "I had you get me the good stuff, and Minako's not even drunk yet or nothing!"
"Minako has a long way back to her apartment, doesn't she? I don't think it's a good idea for her to have to make that trip drunk. Besides-" Kaname Tomohisa's eyes dart back and forth between his wife and Kure Minako, before he says "-both of you have to work tomorrow, don't you? ?I don't think the old man would appreciate you both coming in hungover, would he?"
"If we were already back at her apartment, I wouldn't mind," Archer chimes in. "But I'd rather not have to walk her back to her apartment while she's drunk... Again. The last time wasn't pleasant for either of us."
"I'm... Good to go," Kure Minako says, standing on legs whose support could be sturdier. "I've got a little bit of a buzz going, but I should be good to make it back home." Archer approaches as Kure Minako wobbles towards him, as the pair meet in the middle. "Especially if I've got a big, strong man there to help me. Kirika!" she calls out, "We're heading out now!" From her place at the living room couch, you hear Kirika get up, and she shuffles over to her mother, muttering under her breath "Wasn't even a reason for me to be here... Could have just left my school bag at the apartment, too..." When mother and daughter have their shoes on, Kure Minako asks Archer "Are you coming back with us, or were you going back with Homura?"
Archer looks to you, and then to the Kures; you nod, and he turns back to Kure Minako and says "I was thinking of going back with you two. I never did find the time to help Kirika with her homework; and if you're up for it, I'd like to give you some help as well."
After a round of goodbyes, Archer parts with the Kures, and shortly after you and Madoka bid your goodbyes as well - "I'll see you tomorrow, Homura-chan" - you head back to your apartment, where Assassin is waiting for you. Her scent is all over the hallway, so it's no surprise when Amy doesn't come out to greet you as you take your shoes off.
"Welcome home, master," Assassin says to you as you enter the living room. There are crumbs dotting her lips, the source of which is the box of cookies from which she is snacking as she browses the internet on your laptop. Her feet had been kicking back and forth in the air as she lay on her stomach when you first entered, but upon your arrival Assassin shifts to a seated position, as she makes room for you to join her. "Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Yes," you say; perhaps 'enjoyable' isn't the right word to describe tonight's dinner, but you came out of it with Madoka knowing the truth about you and accepting you for it, so there's no way you can say it was bad. "And now that I'm home, I was hoping I could talk to you about a couple of things."
[ ] Wat do?
