[x] Spend time with Lutecia.
- [x] Talk to her about her mother and your sister.
- [x] Ask her about Agito.
[X] Spend time with Homura.
- [X] Talk about a supply of blood.
You roll out of bed and slip quietly out of the room. The sun is already quite visible, and you make a note to put heavier curtains over the window, for times you want to sleep during the day. You smell something cooking; it's really quite good, and you float down the stairs to reach the kitchen. You poke your head in the dining room first, and see Lutecia sitting at the table, still half-asleep. You grin and wander into the kitchen.
"Honestly, how do you live like this? What do you usually eat?" Agito is hovering over the stove - literally! - working on something while Homura watches.
"It doesn't matter, does it?" Agito harrumphs at the reply. "And I don't recognize most of what you asked about, so you shouldn't expect to find them here."
"Hmph. It's still important to eat properly." Agito puts a lid on the pot and turns around to start on something else, but pauses when she sees you. "Oh, you're up. I suppose you'll be skipping breakfast?" She sounds like she's forcing herself to be neutral, and you smile and nod politely.
"Good food is good, and I do like it, but it's not something I need." Agito makes a face and crosses her arms, and you giggle. "If you want me to eat with you, I have no problems eating, but don't feel obligated to include me. All I want right now is some tea, anyway ...." You glance at Homura, who points at one cabinet. You open it and find ... one brand of green tea, in bags. You glare back and see Agito break out in laughter as Homura sighs and lowers her head. You shake your head and float out of the kitchen, nearly running into Lutecia on the way.
"Ah ... Flandre ...." She gives you a curious look, and you smile at her and pat her on the head.
"Hehe! Have fun! Meet me in the library later, okay? Bye!" You fly off, leaving her looking confused, and the smile melts from your face as you pass her line of sight. You need to make a list of things Homura needs to get, don't you? Proper tea, curtains, different clothes for Lutecia ... you're sure you'll find other things she should have that aren't there. You look around the library; it is fairly small, of course, but it's still not filled. Time to see what she does have ....
You're most of the way through the library when you hear the door open. You glance over to see Lutecia walk in, and you wave. You finish up the shelf you were on before dropping down to sit next to her at the table. She starts to turn so she can face you, but you lean over and wrap your arms around her waist; she frowns a little but doesn't say anything about it, simply letting you hold onto her.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"Family," you say quietly, finally letting her go and sitting up. "Your mother, what's she like?" Lutecia looks down for a while before talking.
"... I've never actually met her. Everything I know about her, Zest told me. That she was warm, and kind, and a wonderful person who helped her friends. That she did what she thought was right." She stops talking, and you look over at her. She looks sad, and you pull her over to you, letting her rest against your chest while you stroke her hair.
"... So Zest knew your mother?" She nods, almost unnoticeably, and you smile happily. "Then, when we get back to your home, they can talk!" Lutecia gently pulls away, and you see tears forming in her eyes.
"But ... Due killed him ...." You cluck your tongue.
"Nuh-uh!" She looks over at you unhappily. "She didn't kill him. All she did was hurt him. She kept slashing with her claw, not stabbing, and it's hard to kill with that kind of attack, and then I interrupted her, and Zest was still alive then. And even if he is an enemy, Nanoha and the others would make sure he's healthy, so when we get back, you can see them both again!" Lutecia blinks away her tears.
"... Really?" You nod. "... Thank you ...." You smile and lean against the table. You didn't know she hadn't even met her mother ... and that must mean that Zest and Agito were the only people around her. So ... you're glad you didn't kill Agito or Zest. She'd probably hate you if you had. "Um ... what about your parents?" Lutecia asks you quietly, and you shrug.
"I don't know. Never met them, never knew about them. Don't even know if I have any, really." Lutecia draws herself inward, and you giggle. "Oh, I haven't been alone! I've been with my sister my whole life."
"Your sister?" You lean back and look up at the ceiling. It's been a long time since you really thought about your sister ....
"Mm. Remilia, that's her name. She's awesome, really - she's a lot stronger than I am, she's a powerful magician, she can plan, and she can be so much fun to play with!" Your smile fades a bit. "Of course, not so much anymore. She keeps trying to protect me, and I can see why - I know I don't always do the smart thing, and there are things that can hurt me, especially at home, but she's so stuffy about it! And we hardly play together anymore .... And when we don't play together, it never seems like she's really having fun, you know?" Your mood swings again, and you hop to the floor and start pacing angrily. "She's always working, and she's afraid of something, and no one else can really play with me, and there's something she's always doing that keeps occupying her time so she can't play with me! It's either the Mist, or the Night, or overseeing talks between people, or something that I can't do with her!" You stomp your foot, splintering the floor, and just stand there. "... And I just want to play with her, or at least just spend more time with her, but I can't help her with those things, and I get bored when she just keeps working, so ...."
You shake your head and turn to see Lutecia still sitting there, looking down at her hands and stroking the gem on one of her gloves. You hop onto one of the chairs across from her and lean over the table.
"Hey, what about Agito?" She blinks up at you in confusion. "You said something about her being a Device?" You feel Headless staring out as well, and Lutecia nods.
"Agito is a Unison Device, a genuine Ancient Belkan one," she says after a moment. "Zest and I rescued her from a research facility, and took her with us. She couldn't remember her name, so I gave her one." A ghost of a smile flits across her face, and your eyes widen in awe. "Well, it took thirty-seven tries to come up with one she liked, but that's how she got her name."
"So ... what's a Unison Device? How is it different from this?" You take Loki out and put it on the table in front of you. Lutecia shakes her head.
"Most devices are just artificial intelligences that have limited awareness and require mana from their master to do things. Unison Devices have their own Linker Cores and are actually alive; they can use magic on their own. What makes them special is that they can merge with a mage to more effectively support them. People who are suited for uniting with a Unison are rare, though, and a Unison can take over the mage and control him or her if the compatibility is too low." You frown and sink down, resting your chin on the table.
"I am NOT one of those!" "You're like them, though ... well, I guess you don't have a body of your own ...." "We are NOT the same!" "How would we tell? Maybe there was some kind of accident?" "... Bring her in here. If there is some kind of relation, she'd be able to find out once she's in here, wouldn't she?" You frown; it almost seems like Headless has some other plan in mind. But it is a good idea .... You feel her presence vanish, disappearing to ... wherever she goes. You shake yourself and sit up.
"... How do you merge with a Unison Device? Is there anything special you need to do?" Lutecia stares at you for a moment, then looks at the table.
"Both the Unison and the mage need to accept each other and want to unite; if there's low compatibility, it's more difficult; and if the partner doesn't have a Linker Core, there isn't much reason to unite. I don't think Agito would even accept trying it unless it was absolutely necessary." You pout. Understandable ... but you're curious. And you aren't sure you should reveal Headless to her, especially not without Headless's permission.
"And Agito doesn't like me," you say, nodding. Then you yawn. Lutecia looks at you, wide-eyed, and you giggle. "That's ... that's funny." You put your head down on your arms. "Um ... where is she, anyway ...?" ...
You blink as awareness returns, then look to the side as something fouls your wings. A small smile crosses your lips when you see the blanket. Your eyes flick over to the figure sitting in the corner chair, and Homura sighs.
"I don't use this room very much, but I'd still appreciate it if you don't go around smashing holes in the floor," she says. You shrug and pull the blanket in front of you and begin folding it.
"I'll try," you say. Homura shakes her head.
"Yes, I know you didn't do it intentionally. That's why -" Your head jerks up.
"Ah! That's right, do you have any heavier curtains?" Homura stares at you, face blank. "For the room I'm in, so I can sleep comfortably during the day if I want to." She sighs again.
"... I'll see what I have." You nod. If she doesn't have anything suitable, something suitable will just have to be acquired. "... Anyway, Madoka and Mami will be here soon. Is there anything particular you need?" She raises an eyebrow, and you smirk.
"Well~ ... hm, there's a hospital nearby, right?" Homura's face descends into complete confusion, then locks up and goes pale. "Do they have stored blood of some kind?" You stare at the slack-jawed Homura. Finally, she works her mouth before shaking her head.
"You ... you can drink blood that's been frozen?" You shrug.
"I don't like it - fresh blood tastes better and gives more energy - but I can use it. If I'd known about such a thing last time, maybe Mami wouldn't have tried to kill me. Since I do know about it - and I know how much killing people will bother everyone - the method that has the least amount of drawbacks is preferable." She frowns at the floor, thinking. "Well, consider it. I'll be fine for a bit, but do let me know soon." Homura nods.
"Yes. Then - I know I warned you of this once already, but please make no more references to your previous visit here." You nod absently.
What do you do when Mami and Madoka arrive?
[ ] Go out on your own.
- [ ] Wander/Explore.
- [ ] Poke Kazamino.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Go out with the group.
- [ ] Openly.
- [ ] Secretly.
- - [ ] Follow Madoka home.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Stay at Homura's.
- [ ] Talk with Lutecia/Agito.
- - [ ] About what?
- [ ] Stay in the Library.
- - [ ] Try to make a bomb-type spell card. (Start with Red the Nightless Castle)
- - [ ] Try to modify a regular spell card for Lutecia. (Start with Maze of Love)
- [ ] Other?
