[X] Bring in the specialist. Introduce Homura to Nanoha and Fate.
You walk forward, making sure to pick up the Grief Seed when you reach it, as Ilya's conversation falters - Homura's plan after meeting you was to return to her room - and start talking to Homura yourself, asking how she's been the past few days she's been here, how she likes the mansion, if there are any problems she's been having, and the like. You keep track of her answers, of course, but you're paying more attention to how she's feeling right now. "
Would you mind letting me talk to Nanoha and Fate?" An affirmative emotion sweeps through your head - a curious feeling, coming from outside your own mind. It almost tickles.
"
Flandre-chan? Is something wrong?" Fortunately, Nanoha's response comes while you're talking. Keeping track of two people talking at the same time is a bit tricky, even if only one is verbal, and even if you have Headless's help.
"
Not wrong, exactly. But there's someone here - the third person I'd invited, that didn't show up when the others did. She's having some problems, I think, and I know you and Fate are supposed to be relaxing and having fun, but I also think you're the best people to talk to her. If she agrees, would you be willing to come see her?" Nanoha's response is almost immediate.
"
Of course! If there's something I can do to help I'd love to!"
"
If she doesn't want to see us right now, let her know we can see her whenever she's ready," Fate adds. Homura frowns as a smile spreads across your face.
"
Thank you. Ah, just a moment …." You take a breath and soften your smile. "Ah, Homura … would you want to talk to someone about things?" She stiffens and sits up straight, pulling slightly away from Madoka, and glares at you.
"… Homura-chan?" Homura flinches, and Madoka shakes her head. "No, no, I meant - um, we're all here for you, but … wouldn't it be easier to talk about some things with a stranger?" Madoka has nothing but concern and worry on her face, and Homura's stern expression dissolves into one of hopelessness.
"… Who - what …?" She takes several breaths, trying to steady herself, but you cut her off.
"They're humans, from Lulu's world. They're very nice - even after fighting seriously with me, they were willing to talk and be polite right away." You tap your lips and start to look up at the sky, but Homura turns her head and clutches the ring with one hand. After a moment, she nods, almost imperceptibly.
"I'll … meet them. I don't know about … about …." She screws her eyes shut, tensing, and you glance at her Soul Gem as Madoka puts one hand on her shoulder, but it seems safe - hardly even a bubble.
"That's fine. I'll bring them here, okay?" She nods and you smile at Lulu as she gives you a thumbs-up. "Would you mind telling her a bit more about Nanoha and Fate while I get them? And could I borrow Sella and Leysritt for a quick errand?" Lulu nods quickly and moves to sit next to Homura, but Ilya frowns.
"I don't mind, but …." She trails off as your eyes flicker to Madoka and you rub your stomach - they've been
out here, so they probably haven't had anything to eat. Certainly none of the good things like desserts. Her face lights up and she nods. "Of course, of course." You hop forward and give her a hug, and after she lets go she turns to listen to Lulu's explanation of the two mages. "Ah, Homura - do you want me to tell them anything about you?" She looks down at her lap.
"… If you want," she finally says, and you nod. You won't tell them too much; it won't take
that long for you to take them here, after all, and you don't want to get something wrong that will give them the wrong idea. You set the Grief Seed down on the table next to the bench and nod at Madoka.
"
Nanoha, Fate, I'll be there in a few minutes. She agreed to meet you, at least." You skip out of the hedge maze and look at the assembled maid brigade. "Sella, Leysritt, would you mind coming with me? Ilya said it was alright." The twin homunculi bow, either trusting you or having already been told to listen by Ilya, and Satsuki starts to join you. "Ah, Satsuki, why don't you stay and keep Sayaka company? You've gotten to know each other, right?" They both blush a little, and you grin. "Right, so keep talking, okay? We'll be right back." Satsuki nods hesitantly and bows as you walk away rapidly. It's not exactly running, but a quick-moving, ground-eating pace for nobles in a hurry who can't run for reasons of decorum. You
could fly or run … but this is just more fun! You slow down as you approach the ballroom. "Have you two and Satsuki actually eaten anything tonight?"
"We have not, but Leysritt and I are fine," Sella says, and you nod.
"I believe you, and Satsuki doesn't need to eat normal food, but Sayaka would probably feel weird if she's the only one eating. So … some things for her and you three, and then some things for Homura and Madoka. Light foods, I think - nothing that would qualify as a real meal. And some desserts." Leysritt sweeps ahead of you to open the door, and the two maids slip away as you head toward Nanoha and Fate's table. Agito looks up at you worriedly.
"Is she okay? Did something happen here, or -" You raise your hands placatingly and she stops talking. You turn to Nanoha and Fate as they start to stand up.
"I'd like to wait until Sella and Leysritt come back; I don't think Homura and Madoka have eaten yet. Really, I'd have liked to bring them inside, but I think that she'd have more problems that way. And I'm really sorry about this, and thank you!" You bow deeply, and Fate looks quite embarrassed as Nanoha chuckles.
"Why don't you tell us a bit about this person?" Your expression clears and you think for a moment.
"… Her name is Akemi Homura. For various reasons, she's older than she looks - about seven years older, I think. She's … very stubborn; dedicated; single-minded." You hesitate, then shrug. "She was trying to save someone, when we met her, and she's had to do it alone. Maybe that's changed, but -" Nanoha nods and stands up.
"I think I understand. If you're asking, though, Homura-chan must be hurting, though, right?" You look at her for a moment, then sigh. Vita scowls at you, but you shake your head.
"She has a friend with her right now, Madoka. She talks like you do." Nanoha cocks her head to the side, confused, and you shake your head again. Leysritt walks up, carrying a serving platter and showing it to you for inspection. You smile and nod appreciatively. "Thank you, Leysritt. And Sella is - ah, then if you would be so kind as to follow me?" Everyone gets up, even Vita. Well, you can have her and Agito wait outside the maze for a while …. You pass Sella as she finishes with her platter, setting several glasses next to two pitchers. "Ah, thank you, Sella. I didn't even think about that." She merely nods, however - no easily flustered maid for you this time. Agito holds the door for everyone as they follow you through the mansion.
"You mentioned that Homura is trying to save someone? What does she do?" You nod at Fate.
"Mm. She's … mm, I believe she classifies herself as a 'magical girl'. It's a bit complicated, though, so you should ask her or Madoka about it." No doubt that particular bit of life cycle is part of what's bothering her, and you click your tongue. "Ah, and she has a small, egg-shaped container with her. Please keep an eye on it - it should be purple, but if it starts turning black and oily, she'll need to use a Grief Seed to take care of it. Just let her calm down if that happens."
"… Is she dangerous?" You glance back as Vita growls a question. Nanoha frowns at her.
"I don't think she wants to be. I think if something goes wrong then she'll try to run instead of trying to fight. But if you're just asking if she
is dangerous - yes, she is. And I'm going to ask that you and Agito stay outside the maze until she feels well enough to meet more people." Neither Vita nor Agito are happy about that, of course, but you're not going to let something like
that change your mind. You step outside and start walking toward the hedge maze. Why did she choose to wait
there? Yes, it's a place where she can be relatively safe from other people, especially with Sayaka at the entrance … but the parallels with a Witch's Barrier are pretty obvious. Did she not think about them, or is she more aware of them than you'd thought? And if she
is starting to think of herself as a Witch ….
Sayaka frowns at the extra members of your group, and then her eyes widen as Leysritt unfolds the legs of the platter she's carrying and sets it down. "Ah, ah, it's okay! Really! I -" You waggle your finger at her.
"You should at least try some of it, especially since Leysritt brought it al the way out here." She suddenly look embarrassed and guilty, but nods, and you pat her head patronizingly. As she scowls, you grin and turn away, taking the platter from Sella. Vita glares darkly at you - after all, you're taking her charges away from her - but you nod to her and Agito. "Nanoha, Fate, if you could follow me?" You sweep into the maze and the mages follow you. "Ah, and before I forget - it seems my sister gave them the dresses they're wearing, so don't blame them for how they look, okay? Unless Homura's transformed, anyway." Ilya meets you outside the entrance to the center - a final guardian before the boss room.
"I thought that since I don't know them, I shouldn't get in the way too much," she says, and you look at the platter irritatedly - there's no way you can shift it so you're only carrying it with one hand without dropping it.
"… Give me a moment to set it down and then I'm going to hug you," you say, but she shakes her head as a smile creeps across her face.
"No, no, it's -" She breaks off as you slip past her. Lulu looks unhappy, and Homura seems to have closed up, but Madoka only seems resigned. Lulu's expression brightens when she sees you, however, and Madoka looks quite embarrassed.
"Oh, no, that's alright …." She trails off and grabs the Grief Seed as you start to set the platter on the table. Homura frowns at you, and you curtsy.
"I thought, since you didn't seem to come inside, perhaps you might be a little hungry. This is Takamachi Nanoha, and this is Fate Harlaown." The mages nod and smile as you introduce them. "Akemi Homura and Kaname Madoka."
"Um, how do you do … um, Takamachi-san, Ha- Harla-" Nanoha squats in front of Madoka and smiles.
"Ah, Madoka-chan, why don't you just call us Nanoha and Fate?" Fate nods, but most of her attention is focused on Homura. Homura, for her part, seems more
nervous than anything else right now.
"Na-Nanoha-san. Fate-san." Madoka smiles weakly and nudges Homura, who shakes herself.
"… Good evening," she says quietly, eyes flickering toward you before looking back at Nanoha. "What … why are you doing this?" Madoka looks worried, almost panicky, and Lulu winces as she sneaks around to your side. Ilya slips in as well, and - true to your word - you wrap your arms around her in a silent tackle.
"Well, Flandre asked us to, because she thought we might be able to help you. If we'd seen you before she could tell us about you, though, we would have asked if there was anything we could do anyway." Nanoha nods and sits on Homura's other side, seemingly unintentionally making the girl scoot into Madoka, who can't move without bumping into Fate - and going by the slightly distant look in her eyes, Madoka is being talked telepathically by
someone.
"If someone needs help, I want to be there
to help that person. Hehe. You should talk to Vita-chan about how nosy I am." Homura still looks uncomfortable, and you glance at Lulu, wondering if the three of you should go outside the maze right now or wait a bit to see how Homura handles the intrusion.
"
Flandre." You blink.
"
Vita? Is something wrong?" You consider letting her know that Nanoha is alright - but she's not obsessive about it, and they haven't been separated nearly long enough to make her worry.
"
Maybe. Those bird-girls are coming over here. Aya, I think you said her name was?" You frown and have your clones scan their areas of responsibility - but the tengu are nowhere to be found, except the man they were pestering, who is studying the alcoholic drinks. When searching for something to distract them, you do see that Yuuka is standing near the danmaku arena, watching the black-dressed woman with the strange hair. … Given how frequently you've seen her, maybe you should figure out who she is ….
"
Aya is the good one. The other one is … I don't remember, but she's a nuisance." That said … how to handle them? There isn't much that's going on in the party, and they're doubtless here now because they saw you moving around so mysteriously.
What do you do?
[ ] Tell them to go away.
- [ ] Go back to Homura after they leave.
- [ ] Stay out with Vita and the others.
- [ ] Take Lulu to see the danmaku duels.
[ ] Let them stay in front of the maze, but they can't go in.
- [ ] Stay with Homura and the others.
- [ ] Stay out to keep things under control.
[ ] Take them somewhere else yourself.
- [ ] The danmaku arena.
- - [ ] Bring Lulu as well.
- [ ] Go see the twins.
- [ ] Just move a bit away and answer some questions.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: Originally, I'd planned on titling this post something along the lines of "A Singularity of Hope and Pink Laser Beams," but for obvious reasons I can't call it that.
