Meditations on Philosophy, or how to be magic Socrates [PMMM]

[Perzeus]

"Every historical event begins with a struggle centered on naming."
- Milan Kundera

"It is as certain as it is marvelous that truth and error come from one source. Therefore one often may not injure error, because at the same time one injures truth."
- Goethe​

"What is justice?"


Sayaka felt mesmerized by the intense violet eyes of Homura and her strangely melancholic tone of voice. They were facing off in front of Madoka's favourite bakery.

It was a splendid spring day with puffy white clouds rolling across the endless blue horizon.

She didn't care much for the strange girl obsessed with her best buddy. Yet somehow she felt that she needed to answer.

"Huh?" Was all that came out.

Homura's silky black hair was carried by the soft wind and glistened under the afternoon sun. Her eyes impassive as always.

After a minute of staring she finally managed to get her tongue working again.

"Well you know, there's all different kinds of justice, what I'm talking about is my personal brand of justice, like how people have their personal fashion style."

Homura seemed to stare harder, if that's even possible.



"So you make no claims about universal justice, just your personal conception of it?"



"Weeellll I wouldn't go that far, sure I may not know everything there is to know about justice and how it works, like universally, but I sure feel that it can't be that different from what I believe."

Madoka sure was taking her sweet time in the bakery. She was not one for philosophical debates yet something was stopping her from turning away.



"You keep on using that word, what exactly is justice Sayaka? How would you recognize someone else's version of it if you acknowledge it can be different from yours? For that matter how do you recognize what is just and what is not?"

Sayaka felt Kyuubey land on her shoulders. He felt heavier than usual. Homura twitched.



"Look Homura, I ain't a philosopher and I don't intent to become one so I can't give you an exact answer, ain't that right Kyuubey? Jeez lighten up!"

Kyuubey was silent. His tail swishing slower than usual.

Homura said nothing.

Sayaka was getting annoyed.

"Don't get your panties in a knot just because I said I wanted to be a hero of justice! That's a perfectly normal thing to want after getting magical powers for gosh sake."



"How do you know what is perfectly normal? You made your wish yesterday. Did you meet any other magical girls before Mami?" Homura tersely replied.



"Well no, but that doesn't mean Mami or Kyuubey didn't tell me or that I'm totally clueless!"

The silence was deafening.

"A.. an..and, plus! I've watched tons of anime about magical girls so I totally know what fighting for justice is like!"

Homura's left eyebrow arched up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while a flock of songbirds flew from the nearby maple tree. It was a perfect afternoon.



"I will be as honest and straightforward as possible Sayaka, so please listen closely. You are clueless. You should never mistake the ideals of children's shows with the reality we live in, that you will soon experience. If you understand this I will have helped you immeasurably. If not then the consequences will be likewise immeasurable. This is not me debating abstract philosophy for my own amusement, you will certainly need to question what you believe if you intend to protect Madoka at all."

Homura looked as if her gaze was penetrating a steel wall.

Sayaka was indignant yet baffled, just how weird can this girl get?

Just as she was about to yell back Madoka came skipping out the gilded sliding glass door with a cute *ting*.



"I got chocolate cornets!" She gleefully announced, holding up the fruits of her labor in two clear bags, before noticing the tension between her best friend and her newest friend.

There was a moment of silence before Homura nodded at her.



"That sounds delicious Madoka, let's head on over to Tomoe's place." The smallest of smiles appeared around Homura's impassive mouth.



"Now just wait a moment Homura !" Sayaka almost yelled, "I'm not going to let you off that easy!" She puffed out her chest, fingers grasping a jeweled ring.

Homura ignored her and helped Madoka with a bag.

Madoka nervously looked back and forth.

As Homura turned around Kyuubey spoke while jumping to Madoka.



"What do you believe justice is Homura?"



She stopped instantly and after a long pause gazed back over her shoulder, hair swishing in the breeze.

Sayaka and Madoka looked at each other.



"Is it not more appropriate for you to explain O' wise and mighty representative of the Incubators? Surely you can say the truth of the matter to your newest contractees?"

Madoka couldn't help but snicker at her tone. Kyuubey's tail swished faster.



"The totality of knowledge collected by us regarding the human term 'justice' is far beyond what I can explain verbally. Furthermore, listening to me expounding on esoterics for the rest of the day is likely not what you desire, nor the best use of your time."

Kyuubey projected into their minds, cheerful as usual.



Homura looked seriously annoyed, perhaps for the first time ever, as if she was about to attack with more than just words. Just then Madoka stepped forwards and grabbed hold of her hand tightly and bumped their hips together.



"Okay! Let's go visit Mami and bring her sweets!" Madoka's perky voice rang out in the silence. Her soft hips and incredible fragrance was all that Homura could think of.

With a blushing Homura in tow, they walked to Mami's place.



Sayaka grumbled behind, "why does she get to hold hands with Madoka?"

 

[Perzeus]

"None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free."
- Goethe, Bk. II, Ch. 5​

Under the springtime splendor of the blooming cherry blossoms I walked steadily up the gentle slope to Tomoe's residence with Madoka and Sayaka in tow. With every nerve of my body excited by Madoka's gentle arms, it seems as if today is destined to be one of those rare days of tranquility. However, such fantasies were quickly perturbed, unsuprisingly, by a still recalcitrant bluenette.



"Soooooo Kyuubey you got any tips on fighting?"



I repressed the immediate urge to admonish her for saying that out loud instead of using telepathy. There were other people walking along! Apparently even magical powers are not enough to induce subtlety in certain personalities. With only the sound of the demon's swishing tail in response, I calmly continued and pretended to enjoy the afternoon chorus of the songbirds.

Now that I think about it, I didn't recall there being so many in the previous cycles. Perhaps there were -



"It depends on the type of fighting you expect and what your ultimate goals are dear Sayaka."

The demon unhelpfully thought.



"Welll, I was just thinking, you know, that since I'm new and all to this business, and since Mami also knows that, maybe I can impress her with some sweet ass-kicking moves, ya know."



"Although I always seek to further enhance the competence of my valuable contractees Sayaka, I usually refrain from providing direct instruction to eager minds such as yourself as from experience having a senior mentor demonstrate is the undoubtedly superior method and more energetically efficient as well."



The demon's tail continued swishing like a metronome beside the bluenette's head. A hundred cycles and I still have trouble ignoring it. Poor me right?



"Huh? You mean, like, ask someone other than Mami?"



"Why not ask Homura here?"





I could feel her unconvined gaze on the back of my neck.



"Pfft, yeah right! Miss dark and serious here would probably chew me out a dozen times before that!"



I can't deny that I was irked more than usual by her comment. As I was formulating a witty retort, Madoka helpfully intervened.



"Now, Sayaka, that's not nice. I'm sure Homura here has lots of wonderful advice to give. Ain't that right?"



"Mmm-Hmm."



"And plus Mami is so nice she will help you like a good senpai does, I'm sure of it!, there's no need to feel embarrassed asking for her advice Sayaka."



"Wahhhht! No way Madoka, I'm definitely not embarrassed about asking for advice... it's just.... uhh... there must be loads of things she's busy with, ya know, being the chief... uhhh... you-know-what for a big city like Mitakihara. And so she probably doesn't have time to teach me everything about, ya know, being a defender of freedom and justice and stuff..." Her face tinged with a blush by the end.



I giggled along with Madoka at her transparent reasoning, I couldn't help myself, truly. Madoka's warm touch on my sides was just too heavenly.



On cue, the blunette sputtered, "What's... what's so funny Homura!"



My self control was slipping and the urge to retaliate to her annoying rasp interrupting my precious time with Madoka made me less cautious than normal. It was at that moment I thought of a novel response, untried in the cycles so far. So I tilted my head backwards,



"Is it not self evident that being a defender of both freedom and justice is an oxymoron?"



"Your an oxymoron!" Sayaka spat out.



An eyebrow arched, I remained silent.



"You think your soooo clever Homura! With your fancy words, and arrogance, and... and... your eru.. erud.. erudit..."



"Erudition."



"Yeah! So I don't care about what you say!" She harrumphed.



"Your assertion does not follow your premises Sayaka." My eyebrow remained arched.



With flinty eyes, she retorted "Well you got Madoka following you alright!"



Oh now it was on! However, I refused to abase myself before dear Madoka and the evil demon rat. Better to inject some doubt in her naive worldview than to engage in a schoolyard scuffle, Divide and rule, the old adage goes.



"Have you ever considered that freedom and justice are incompatible goals? Is it not the ultimate goal of freedom to attain what that is beyond any court of law to restrict?"



Her eyes widened and after a pregnant minute they sharpened again, I could see the gears turning behind those open windows of the souls, "Yeah right, your just trying to confuse me with fancy rhe... rhet..."



"Rhetoric."



"Yeah, that!"



Madoka giggled again. She's probably enjoying this as light afternoon entertainment, now that I consider it. Her gentle swaying at my side was akin to the balm of the ancient gods.



Sayaka turned away and blushed deeper, sputtering "Well it won't work on me!, let's see you try it with Mami."



Thankfully, we arrived at the entrance gate to Tomoe's conodominium at that moment, so I could gracefully retire from the first round of philosophical battle leaving the bluenette to stew in her thoughts. With the prospects of my final victory all but assured I led Madoka into yet another fortress of gilded crystal.



Although what a curious idea, perhaps I should try it with Tomoe too?

 

[Perzeus]

"There is strong shadow where there is much light."
- Goethe, Götz von Berlichingen, Act I​

In the vast corridors of power where the true rulers of this world circulate in, weighty matters could be dealt with as if on a whim, whereas the lightest of pleasantries could be calculated to a fearsome degree. This unity of opposites, this yin-and-yang behind the curtains so to speak, has fascinated me since the first cycle I spent away from the regular scene of middle school life, observing the true nature of our rulers. Sometimes my dreams were filled with what life could have been like for an alternate Homura Akemi, to have enjoyed growing up among those ranks and without the dreadful burdens I now confront.

Although the current corridors we were walking through in Tomoe's building only held private apartments behind their oak doors, I could not help but think of the similarity in size, form, and design with so many other hallways I have travelled through. How curious that the modern architectural styles are practically identical nowadays, all across Japan, and even the World entire. Why not some Art Deco furnishings instead? Or a Greco-Roman flourish? Or some tasteful paintings or Chinese caligraphy to spice things up a bit? How strange that in this world we live in, vast sums are spent on erecting such impressive edifices with such minimalist accoutrements. It must be the post-modern age we live in.

I pondered over those strange musings that in the regular intercourse of events tend to come to attention only during long moments of silent activity. Perhaps it's a desperate attempt to avoid paying attention to my premonitions of yet another month of despair, or Madoka's wonderful fragance. Speaking of which..



"Ah there's Mami's place!" Madoka cheerfully pointed out the gilded nameplate attached to a handsome dark oak door.



As I was about to knock, Sayaka butted in, "Pfff, she'll probably be frightened seeing Homura first." and rang the doorbell.



"Hey Mami we're here!"



I remained impassive yet stared into the back of that mass of blue hair while Madoka gave a nervous titter.



"I'll be right there Sayaka, feel free to come in, I unlocked the door!" Tomoe said through the intercom.



To her credit, she came quickly while we slipped off our shoes and bounced excitedly into view. "Hi everyone! Welcome to my humble abode."



She quickly glanced at everyone, even the demon rat, with her characteristic wry grin and bow. Though she lingered at my eyes, undoubtedly in an attempt to demonstrate whose territory it was. Needless to say, I was not intimidated.



"Mami!" Madoka cheerfully embraced the taller girl while the demon jumped to her shoulders with a flourish. "Always a pleasure seeing you Madoka." Tomoe replied in her sing-song voice.



I was more to the point, "Tomoe."



She abruptly straightened and replied coolly, "Akemi".



Clearly, I was not yet entitled to her felicitations despite saving her life, yet again, from the regular crisis yesterday.



"We brought some delicious snacks!" Madoka grinned



"Oh my, you shouldn't have bothered, I've got plenty here." Tomoe cutely cuddled her again in response. A very irksome sight, if I am honest with myself.



"Nonsense! We can't let you play host and mentor us and feed us like we're babies!" Sayaka retorted with a grin.



We all giggled at that and sat down around her triangular table set for afternoon tea. I felt a faint blush as Tomoe, freshly showered and perfumed, bumped into me and smelled attractive in a way that was almost as enjoyable as Madoka.

Maybe I'm finally losing it... well at least I can enjoy this moment.



"So it's been a whole day since you both became magical girls! How are you both feeling?"



"Just peachy." Madoka cutely replied.



"Totally excited! Like, it's the coolest and most awesome thing that's ever happened to me!"



Tomoe politely giggled behind her elegant hand. "Well I am happy for you too Sayaka."



"Any new developments Kyuubey?" she demurely asked as she began pouring some tea.



"Nothing to be concerned over Tomoe. There have been some new magical girls contracting in nearby cities but none in Mitakihara."

The demon continued licking it's paws.



"That's good to hear, that means less work for me, and more time to be senpai!" She grinned as she passed around the fragrant tea cups.



I admit that she consistently makes the best tea and desserts out of everyone I've met. Though perhaps my pride would not allow me to express it verbally.



"Mmmm delicious!" Madoka and Sayaka exhaled in delight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After some further pleasantries were exchanged over tea, cake, and deserts from Madoka's favourite bakery, we finally got down to business.



"Sooo... what brings you here Akemi?" Tomoe said with her trademark senpai voice.



I looked directly and unwaveringly into her eyes for a minute before responding, for that usually brings the best results with her personality, in my experience. The demon's tail swished on.



I arched an eyebrow, "Do I need to supply a special reason Tomoe? Is enjoying the company of friends and allies on a quiet afternoon not the polite way to recover from a tumultuous near-death experience?"



A hint of annoyance crept into her voice, "The way events played out yesterday was due to your stubbornness in attacking poor Kyuubey and acting all aloof and mysterious. He would have came to help us if he hadn't been so terrified of your behavior."



She took another sip while her eyes and the demon's reflected the sunset through the windows.



She continued on, "The reason I am fine with you sitting here is because I know you have no ill intentions towards Madoka, but don't think that gives you carte blanche to do or say anything. Especially if you continue to refuse an apology to Kyuubey. I am not as polite as I look when irked."



We glared calmly into each other's eyes.



After another minute of silence it was Madoka who intervened, "C'mon girls, there's no need to fight, we're all safe and sound right?" She beamed at both of us cutely.



"Yeaa..yeaahh your right Madoka! We totally can let bygones be bygones even though your such a hardass Homura, uuuhhhh.... no offense though."



I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and swallowed my standard retort. I turned to face the blunette while trying to relax my posture a bit.



"I appreciate your sincere offer Sayaka. Although you have exemplary qualities there are moments where I feel you may be lacking in prudence, in my previous haste I may have been counterproductive. So I will try to be gentler in my methods towards helping you. Deal?"



Sayaka whistled and raised an eyebrow.



"Wow, you really know how to butter someone up when you try to."



I smiled. There was a small blush on her face.



"Fine. Deal." She shook vigorously and turned away to hide her blush.



"And hopefully Tomoe will also agree to a productive relationship?" I asked rhetorically to the girl calmly watching.



"Only if you promise to never interfere again without prior consultation, that includes Kyuubey." She sipped again, the demon jumped to Sayaka's shoulders.



"As you are well aware, promises easily made are easily broken." I couldn't resist teasing her, perhaps the rising heat of my body as Madoka cuddled closer was whittling down my defenses.



Tomoe's gaze hardened predictably.



"My actions will depend on the direction of events as they unfold. For me to make such a promise would be useless, worse than useless in fact, as it may interfere with my future aid during any, perhaps even greater, distress you or Madoka or Sayaka may encounter. I hope my initial assessment of your character is correct and that you won't insist on a foolhardy promise." A bit of emotion leaked into my voice as I put an arm around Madoka.



"My, my, why does it sound like you know we will be in distress again?" She replied while leaning over very close to get another slice of cake.



Darn her pheromones! This is the first time I've felt so strangely, to be unable to dislike her yet also unable to let her have her way with Madoka. Maybe it's due to the closeness of yesterday's rescue, the sheer fright I saw in her eyes as she trembled in my arms moments after the dungeon collapsed.

I exhaled, cursing the incubators mentally always helps, they truly are cruel! I decided to bite the bullet and address her psychological state head on.



"Let us be clear as possible Tomoe and have no misunderstandings. My enmity towards you is minimal, if you could let go of trying to influence Madoka to be your loyal kouhai there will be nothing stopping us from enjoying at least a distant friendship. Which would undoubtedly be better and more comfortable for everyone involved. If you could then also recognize and let go of your desire to impress upon vulnerable and receptive minds the psychological projections of your own traumatic past then we would, in all likelihood, become very close indeed. These are all the objections I have regarding your character."



I sipped my tea placidly while staring down her eyes, which widened comically as a small gasp escaped her lips.

Madoka and Sayaka's jaws hung open and the demon began licking both its paws.



"Yo... You.... You... You... WITCH! What kind of magical girl are you!" Tomoe shouted indignantly.



She almost threw her teacup at me while standing up, though at the last moment one of her ribbons popped out and crushed it into fine powder.

I took another sip.

She stormed off into the kitchen face red with tears forming at the corner of her eyes.



After a long silence Sayaka whistled appreciatively, "Geez, that was harsh even for you Homura."



Madoka nodded.

Well, what can I say? Ripping off a bandage is always painful in the moment... especially psychological bandages... And the events so far, through my whirlpool of thoughts, has outmoded my usual bag of tricks. I will need to augment my desires with a mind and soul equal to the crushing weight of the destiny before me. Seizing the opportunities along my preordained path with words instead of the sword, like how I dreamed of so long ago, will... require more finesse than what I am used to,

 

[Perzeus]

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."
- Goethe, Bk. V, Ch. 1​

Mami Tomoe was displeased to say the least. She managed to contain her tears to just a light shimmer over the eyes after leaning on the floor-to-ceiling window of her kitchen, as the thought of the alternative, breaking down in front of her dear friends, sunk a deep pit of despair into her. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful or not on her mature self control. Her thoughts were jumbled and confused and spiralling in a dozen directions, a real mess.

She was about to grab a tissue to blow out her nose when she heard the almost silent footsteps of Akemi entering from the living room. Mami did not look up, her eyes scrutinizing the weave and weft of her costumed arms that were currently hugging her sides. It was a bit suprising that Madoka or Sayaka had not come to comfort her, though perhaps they too recognized that hugs and comforting words were not enough for this wound. Something at the back of her mind had been let loose in her psyche, bluntly letting her know the only way to truly heal from this was to confront the one responsible.

Akemi stood silently like a statue in her school uniform gazing out at the sunset spreading it's multicoloured rays across the distant clouds. With her characteristic posture of stoic equanimity she didn't move a single muscle.

After a few minutes Akemi let out a long sigh, levelled her gaze with Mami, and coughed into her fist. Mami took that as the cue to revert back to her normal clothes and muster the courage to look up and back into those haunting orbs.

Huh, she was standing only two meters away, Mami thought, a lot closer than her footsteps had indicated. Did the black haired girl not fear my ribbons at all even without her costume? Just how fearless was she? Mami's body involuntarily shuddered at the prospect of facing the girl in real combat.



"Tomoe..... My apologies. I phrased my outburst poorly, I momentarily thought we were familiar enough for that to have been acceptable language. I will try not to repeat my lapse of judgement. Can I ask for your forgiveness?"



Mami considered the offer for a long moment, "You may ask, but I may not forgive."



She knew she was being spiteful now, yet both the childish aspect of her psyche and her gut agreed, as rare as that was, that if she were to give in now she would never be free from Akemi's designs.

She had to stand her ground. Had to. If not for her self alone, then for the more impressionable bluenette and pinkette. There was just no way letting this disturbing girl free reign over Mitikhara could ever work.

There was a pregnant silence while the aloof girl pondered her next words.



"Do you remember your ancient philosophy from literature and history?"



Mami blinked. "Beg your pardon?"



"Do the names Plato, or Confucius, or Scorates, or Laozi, or Tacitus, or Zhuangzi ring a bell?



She blinked again. "Welll.... some of them sound vaguely familiar..."



Another pregnant silence as Akemi quirked an eyebrow.



"I will refrain from admonishing you for slacking off your homework Tomoe. Though I am more than willing to provide remedial lessons as recompense." She said with the tiniest of wry grins.



Suppressing any hint of a blush Tomoe coughed, took a tissue and blew her nose.



"Was that a joke that I just heard?"



Akemi's other eyebrow arched up and she turned to look back at the sunset.

Mami decided to offer an olive branch, metaphysically, to hopefully goad a more light-hearted Homura out of her thick shell. After all, yesterday's events proved that at least the aloof girl wasn't a complete nemesis.



"I would be glad to hear what's on your mind."



Those deep eyes turned back to a level, yet somewhat softer, gaze.



"The wise person looks into space and does not regard the small as too little, nor the great as too big, for they know that, there is no limit to dimensions. That's a famous quote from the Chinese philosopher known as Zhuangzi. He is famous for the Butterfly dream, a famous Taoist parable, that I'm sure you did your homework on in first year Tomoe."



"Hmm that's the one where he wakes up unable to tell whether he was a butterfly dreaming of being a man or a man dreaming of being a butterfly right?"



"Correct. My behaviour would make more sense if you ignore my apparent pettiness or grandiosity, as they may appear in the course of events, and assume that external forces, beyond your understanding, are at work upon us all and influence my actions imperceptibly as I seek to counteract them. As if I were awake in a dream world, or vice versa."



Now it was Mami's turn to quirk her eyebrow. "Oh?"



"Indeed."



"Would you be so kind as to provide an example Akemi?"



Another long silence, her gaze sharpening.



"We are already representatives, and enforcers, of a parallel society, an entire parallel reality, really, if you think about it... that's as much of a hint as I can give. It is not my place to offer the knowledge that you are subconsciously still unready for Tomoe. I have learned my lesson."



"Hmmph. Back to your arrogance and cryptic riddles I see." Mami exhaled deeply.



Akemi moved to lean next to her by the window, face impassive yet almost daring her to react.



"Conventional people are roused to fury by departures from convention, largely because they regard such departures as a criticism of themselves. So said Bertrand Russell, someone you are more familiar with Tomoe. Although I would never label you as conventional, there are times where your stubborness interferes with thinking outside the box." She said with her small grin reappearing.



"Have our lessons moved on from really old philosophy to somewhat old philosophy now?"

Mami couldn't help but chuckle at this queer conversation. They were magical girls after all, risking life and limb every week, how could spending the time for such serious introspection be of any future use?

The rays of the setting sun reached it's peak angle into the kitchen, scattering every surface in a prismatic glow through the coloured glass. These were the small moments that lifted her spirits in the tedium of lonely existence after Sakura...



"I do not regard myself as being bound by conventional norms or social niceties that so often accumulate unquestioningly when we are not careful. Yes, even magical girls, as norm breaking as they behave, are guilty of that Tomoe, especially magical girls that contract young."



Akemi did her trademark hair swish as the individual strands momentarily casted a kaleidoscope of shadows on the opposite wall. Mami couldn't help but stare.

Her eyes, pools of deep gold, then silently gazed into their opposing pair.



"Hmm, well I appreciate your interesting little speech Akemi, but -"



"OH Come ON! What are you two babbling on about?" Sayaka shouted as she stomped into the kitchen with Madoka in tow, "Jeez. My butt was getting sore waiting for you both to make up."



Mami and Madoka tittered in response. "My, Sayaka, you sound like a boy. Why don't you join us."



The blunette crossed her arms and huffed while looking out the window, "Well excuse me for trying to have some fun! "



"Miss Akemi here seems to greatly enjoy fun in the form of philosophical debate, I'm sure she would be willing to share." Mami giggled again.



Sayaka stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry, which Akemi pretended to ignore with a quirk of her head.

Mami clapped her hands cheerfully, "Well everyone, since we still have so much food left over and as there doesn't appear to be any trouble tonight we can stay late or even have a sleepover, if your parents agree of course."



Madoka quickly smiled, "If it helps us become friends, I'd be more than willing to stay."



The older girls both blushed. Sayaka tried to hide her smile.



"Thanks Madoka, I hope your okay with what I've said..." Akemi said, almost demurely.



Madoka beamed in response and went for a hug, "Your my friend Homura! I'd be willing to listen all night if that helps!"

 

[Kell of Snow]

For some reason I feel like I've read this all before. Was this crossposted?

 

[Perzeus]

"Investigate what is, and not what pleases."
- Goethe, Der Versuch als Vermittler von Objekt und Subjekt​

"Must we consume these idle power fantasies Sayaka?"


I was looking at the menu of proposed options for our evening's entertainment in her outstretched hand.

"Wh-wha-what?"


I narrowed my eyes at her. "Surely we can enjoy our sleepover without resorting to the television. Or do you insist on us watching your latest obsession, this 'Nanoha' show?"


"Homura~! It's not nice to talk to Sayaka like that!" Madoka pouted.


Although, usually, this is the point where I relent to her cute face, I could not bear to spend a precious hour unproductively and let her vulnerable mind be indoctrinated.


So I a gave a non-commital hum.


"Yeah! That's right Homura! Why are you so mean and serious to me! It's not like you've even seen this show before! That's really arrogant!" Sayak spewed out.


The evil demon rat was resting on Tomoe's shoulders and both were watching silently. The ever annoying tail swishing on as usual. I exhaled and prepared for another try at winning over my audience through reason, regardless of the miniscule chances of success I foresaw.


"There was a famous Roman historian of the late republic, the first to comprehensively write in Latin, by the name of Sallust. He recorded the famous debate between Julius Caesar and Cicero on the question of deciding what to do with conspirators. I will quote from memory the speech of Caesar that I hope you will reflect on.

'... All who sit in judgment on uncertain issues ought to be truly free from rancor, favoritism, anger, and sentimentality. The mind cannot easily perceive the truth when these emotions obstruct us; and none ever obeyed both passion and consideration at the same time. When you concentrate your mind, it produces sound judgment; if passion controls, then the mind is in its grip, and the intellect produces nothing. I should recall many times, when kings and peoples inflamed by rage or undue compassion decided things badly: but I prefer to talk about how our progenitors acted wisely and considerately without regard for the passions of the mind.'"


The room descended into an awkward silence, as I predicted, with only the sound of the ticking clock to serve as a reminder of our corporeal existence. Sayaka's mouth moved wordlessly as if she were trying to find a retort.


The demon rat stretched out luxuriously and gave a reply.

"It is interesting that you quote that specific passage for our edification, Homura, as your treatment of me is not at all in accordance with the precepts you so helpfully elaborated."


I narrowed my eyes but remained silent. I would not let myself be roused to emote at its cunning words.


That damnable tail stopped swishing.

"Furthermore, I find it curious that you chose to stop at that point, Caesar in fact continues immediately afterwards to say the following,

'You must be mindful of the same, so that you do not pay more attention to the crimes of the conspirators than you do to your own dignity, and that you do not take more counsel of your anger than of your own good name.'"


I clenched my teeth and hands tightly, however my gaze remained locked into those devious red orbs. Madoka and Mami nervously looked back and forth. Sayaka seemed to be completely bewildered.


The demon rat blithely continued on,

"And the reflections you proscribe for my latest contractees are not at all productive. I will quote again further from the same writings to guide all from the wayward path,

'No one considers their own injuries unimportant; and many consider their sufferings more serious than they really are. But freedom, is being able to choose one thing or another. When those who live lives of obscurity commit some crime through anger, few people ever find out; their reputation and fortune are the same. But for those gifted with great power, who hold high positions, the entire world is aware of their actions. Thus the least freedom is found in the greatest fortune. One ought to feel anger very little, and neither covet nor hate. What is anger for the common man is considered arrogance and cruelty when seen in a leader.'"

"And you, Homura, surely hold yourself to be a leader amongst the puella magi if you act so."


I scoffed and closed my eyes while taking in a deep breath, there was no point further engaging in debate with the demon. It decided to hop into Mami's lap and cuddled sedately, apparently thinking it had won the argument, vile little thing. Everyone else were nervously exchanging glances, daring each other to be the first to speak.


"Soooo..... Why don't we all play a game instead?" Madoka offered with a strained smile.


"My, Madoka, that's a wonderful idea! We should enjoy ourselves tonight in our sleeopver, we're teenage girls after all, and I doubt labouriously pondering in circles will help us fight witches." Mami intonated with a teasing grin at my direction.


Sayaka cackled, "Like, totally! It's, like, you were born to be a mega-egghead party-pooper Homura, ya know?"


I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry at her.



Madoka giggled and the conversation returned to the normal routine of adolescent girls.